Have you ever had to overcome the object or thing that you are most afraid of? Well, I have. Even though it has been a year, I clearly remember the time when I passed the swimming survival test. It was significant for me because on that day, I not only fulfilled the graduated requirement, but also have learned a life lesson which influenced me greatly throughout my high school career and my entire life.


It was funny that the first thing I worried about after transferring to Arcadia High School from China was not learning English but learning how to swim. Because of that, I even wanted to transfer to another school which did not require a swimming test to graduate. It had been a knot in my memory that I was swallowed by a wave at the beach when I was young. The choke and terrible power of the sea stayed in my mind. After that, I refused to learn how to swim until I came into Arcadia High School.


With a long internal struggle and the encouragement from my family, I decided to practice swimming for passing the test. First, my father taught me in a swimming pool. I swam with the life jacket by the side of the pool, watching my father showing me one round and another, but I was not daring to try. The unforgettable memory of that choking kept playing back and forth in my head that I could not take it out, as if I would experience the feeling again when sea water came into me through my ears, nose and mouth as long as I swam alone. My father saw my fear then came to me. After his talking, I had courage to try. He said, “Nobody is able to swim when they were born. You need to force yourself and stimulate your potential. Actually you are much better than you think you are.”


It was approaching to the date of the swimming test. With my father’s patient and lots of practicing, I was almost well-prepared except for jumping into the pool. On the day of the test, I did not allow myself to hesitate but dressed up as quickly as I could and stood by the pool. But the fear came to me again. What if I was choked? My father was not with me now. Should I leave and take it next year? On the contrary, I felt embarrassed if I gave up and ran away while people around were watching me. I did not want anyone laugh at me. Without any exception or back-up plan, I pretended as if I was not afraid at all. Time passed too fast when I was waiting. Taking a deep breath and closing my eyes, I jumped into the pool. Surprisingly, I did not sink to the bottom but floated up! I quickly adjusted my breath and repeated what my father had taught me- stretching and kicking my arms and kicked my legs. Finally, when I got to the other side, I realized that I made it! This had been the most fearful thing in my life, but now I overcame!


Now, I fall in love with swimming and enjoy and time under water. I can never learn this life lesson from text books; I can never grow up if I do not try. Sometimes we just think of too much, and this “too much” is what stops us moving forward. Before the swimming test, I was afraid of a lot of things. Now, I think about the test when I approach other things that I am scared of. I comfort myself that there is nothing to be afraid since the most terrible thing has already been beaten. I realized that the scariest thing is not the thing itself, but the scary intimation I give to myself.