Drowning

I always thought I was a good swimmer.

Freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and Butterfly.

I knew them all.

At least I thought I did.

I have been an A student all my life.

People were constantly telling me to do more.

I took nothing but AP and Honors classes.

All while joining clubs and running for class office.

I thought I could handle it all.

Today, I was drowning.

It was a gradual descent.

I was swimming and a wave crashed over me.

I couldn’t break free and the waves just… kept coming.

It was as if my body had turned to lead and was slowly drowning.

Today, I was drowning.

I couldn’t manage to swim far enough from the

tidal wave of assignments, test, and club meetings.

The aftershocks took ahold of me and pulled me under.

I was drowning.

Drowning.

That is all I seemed to be doing.

Drowning.

Fighting to break free.

But then...

Someone pulled me out.

And I finally understood why humans love air so much.

I got a helping hand.

And realized that I don’t have to face the world on my own.

Today I learned that sometimes you have to drown a little to be saved.