Drowning

Have you ever imagined what it would feel like to drown?

I have. 

I imagine it is one of the most terrifying experiences a person could ever feel. I assume that with the fear comes a sense of helplessness and desperation. As your lungs are filled with water and you are seeking a way out, you must also be thinking "I could die". But maybe, just maybe, there is a glimmer of hope. Hope that a hand will reach in to pull you out or hope that you will find the strength to reach the surface.

And I imagine that, once you reach that top and take your first deep breath of air, your entire body collapses into relief. You made it. You are alive. 

Have you ever been through a hard time? Maybe a bout of depression, the loss of a loved one, fear and uncertainty? A really hard breakup? Something that compelty cut you to the core? 

Emotionally, i don't think those type of things are all that different from drowning. Key word: emotionally. We feel helpless, desperate. We are searching for a way out. We are holding onto a tiny glimmer of hope that we WILL get out.

And we do. We get out. The relief comes. The relief is followed by pride. Pride is followed by confidence. So one day, when these things happen to us, instead of feeling like drowning, we feel powedful and strong. We are ready, because we know we can get through it, just like before. We know there is a way out. 

Sometimes it takes a while. Sometimes we need to go through it a couple of times before we finally start to believe that we are strong enough to handle anything that comes our way. 

So next time you feel like you are drowning, remember how you made it through before. And, as Dory says, just keep swimming.

Oh come on, you knew I had to end it like that ;-)