Imagine you were given a safe full of chocolates but you didn’t know the combination to it. That’s how I felt when I moved here to my new house that contained a pool. Now don’t get me wrong, wading around the pool and gossiping with a virgin pina colada with friends is pretty cool, but not quite for sixth grade me. No, I was determined to learn how to swim, and I was going to do it and fulfill my dream of being a mermaid.

It all started when I was in elementary school. I had been snooping around the internet on the family computer and stumbled upon something called a “Fin-Fun Mermaid Tail.” Eight year old me was quaking in her seat watching people put on a faux mermaid tail and swimming around. I had to have it, it was a need, there were no negotiations. When my father came home from work, I violently bombarded him with ideas on a new “swimsuit” for the next time we go on vacation to a place that contained a beach or a pool. I slipped in a “You know, I really like mermaids, it’d sure be nice to have a swimsuit that would make me a mermaid. Oh wait! There is!” Alas, my dream was shattered when my father sat down with me to look at all the safety precautions that younger me thought were seriously uncool. Apparently, you needed to know how to swim, and until I learned how to swim, my father would not budge. 

When I found out that the house I’d be moving to in Teaneck contained a pool I was ecstatic. I thought I was going to explode, implode, and then explode again. I was going to make it my goal to swim. I was going to become a mermaid, and no one was to stop me.

Youtube tutorials are my best friend, then and now (I don’t know if I’d be able to pass some classes without the Organic Chemistry Tutor on Youtube). I saw so many tutorials on how to swim, so many methods for beginners, and many more breathing techniques on how to stay underwater longer. Looking back, I probably could’ve put all this effort into my summer assignments. Seeing all the tutorials and especially seeing other children learn to swim from these guides filled me with determination. 

There was a lot of trial and error. Lots of trying again and stopping for the day. But never did I think to give up. With enough practice, I finally did it! I was able to swim! I had really poor stamina but I swam! However, by the time I had successfully completed my goal, summer was already coming to an end. Surely I’d get the mermaid tail by next summer, right?

Wrong. The year went on and I gradually started to lose interest in mermaids and many other fantastical things. I became more interested in other things, such as gaming and watching my favorite Youtubers. 

Although my previous goal of becoming a mermaid never occurred, I am still grateful to know how to swim. Now I don’t have to worry about any potential dangers such as deep pools and falling off a canoe, because I can finally swim.