The pool: it has six lanes and is 25 yards long. It is filled with chlorine-packed water that dries your skin, hair and eyes. It has no waves, current or mysterious creatures, unless you consider used Band-Aids and lost hair ties to be undiscovered monsters. In fact most people would say the pool holds nothing at all. But to me, it does have one thing and that would be my heart.
I have become an accomplished competitive swimmer, swimming on teams for 11 years of my life. However, none of that would have happened had I not first fallen in love with that pool. When I stand on the edge of the pool and take a deep breath, the signature chemical smell of chlorine fills my airways, and I know I am home. I jump into the pool and the crisp fresh water surrounds my body. I already feel better. I dive below the surface and the water washes away the worries and stress that I have been carrying on my shoulders. All the mistakes and bad days evaporate, for I am in the water, completely content. The outside world is no longer relevant. Down there, it’s all about the bubbles and ripples my hands make as I move them back and forth, and feel the water’s strength as I push and pull against it. My frame becomes weightless, and I kick and twirl as if I am a child just discovering how my body moves. The calming noise of pressure fills my ears. The water cradles me and rocks away my worries for the future. In the water I know everything will be all right. Nothing can go wrong; I am safely in my own world. In this pool I have found serenity.

The pool is something I can always count on. It gets me through a rough day, and houses my victories; it sees me at my worst and my best. Without the pool I would not be the person I am today. The pool has been my teacher; it has taught me to lose with honor and win with grace. It has taught me the value of hard work. In the pool you quickly learn that if you don’t put the hours and effort in during practice, the joy of succeeding at a meet will never come. I have carried this lesson with me and applied it to all aspects of my life, working as hard as I can on any task I take on. The pool has given me a place to discover who I am, who I was, and who I want to be. As I continue in life, I know that I will always look back to the pool and all the values it has instilled in me.