We had a pool in our suburban home in Zimbabwe. I wanted to swim but did not know how to. So I watched other swimmers & thought about how I would move my arms and then my legs, & then breathe from side to side. But I was too scared to actually jump into the pool; my excuse was that I would first learn everything about swimming, & then I would jump into the shallow end of the pool. I practiced the front crawl in the bathtub & I chipped my front tooth for my efforts. Then, when I was about 10, we were visiting our village in Bangladesh where people bathed in a pond. I was bathing in the pond surrounded by water lilies, my mom & aunts, when I slipped on the muddy floor. & as I was immersed in the water, having no other recourse, I began to do the front crawl & I started swimming!! Lifelong lessons for me 1) start at the shallow end if you have to, but get into the water & 2) the "slips" are sometimes just what you need to be able to do what you want. If you are reading this & are feeling afraid of taking a step towards your goal, here's to you. Slips (failure) will be just what you need to keep you moving where you need to go, friend! #empowerment #empoweredwomen #empoweringwomen #empoweryourself
