I was 10 years old when I was first introduced to my nemesis.
My dad had claimed victory over him a long time ago and he wanted me to do the
same. When I first met him, I felt cold. There were several thoughts clouding
my mind, but one stood prominent. I won’t
be able to defeat him. That one thought paralyzed me; made me shake to the
bone, rendering me motionless. Every time I thought I would defeat him, I would
learn a new way to lose. My dad who always hoped for victory would then come
to my help and rescue me like a knight in shining armor. I hated my nemesis. I
hated how he made me feel. I hated how he had this power over me that would
make me go numb. I hated the fear he created in my heart. My nemesis was water
and I was scared every time I stepped into it as I thought it would swallow me
whole and never let me go.
It was a different story altogether with my sister. She was
a champion swimmer just like my dad. Every time dad took us to the swimming pool
in our apartment complex, she swam like she belonged there; like it was her
home. She would tease me whenever I sat near the water not wanting to get
inside. The fear kept on growing everyday and I never quite learned how to
master it.
That all changed on April 16th.
It was my birthday and I was alone at the swimming pool playing
with my nemesis. The water seemed like an eager dog licking my feet, as if it
was the most natural thing in the world. But I knew his intenstions. I knew his
plan. He just wanted me lose focus for a second and then he would claim me as
his own and show the viciousness for which I feared him.
I was still playing with him when I felt a hard push and
then all of a sudden I was inside him. I panicked. I drank him in and that only
made him stronger. No matter how much I hit him with my small little hands, it didn’t
stop him. I was in his clutches now. He held me tight and pulled me down deeper
and deeper. I felt all of my strength draining out of my eyes and the water
eagerly lapped it up like a bee drinking nectar from the morning flower.
I was slipping out of consciousness with the poison of fear growing
strong in my heart. And then I don’t know where it came from, but it did. Maybe
it was the feeling that I had accepted defeat. Maybe I knew I had nothing to lose
now. I raised my hand and then I did it again with another. I then started
kicking my feet, one after another. I had a vision of my dad urging me to push
hard, kick faster and as I did what he told, I swam up. My nemesis was in
shambles as he lost his hold over me.
He finally gave up after a long struggle and
I exploded out of the water, screaming high and loud. My dad who was sleeping
in his lounge chair woke up to the sound of my cries. Without stopping to think,
he ran up to me and jumped inside the swimming pool. He swam towards me and said
‘I’ve got you.’
I tapped him on the shoulder and said ‘No dad. I've got
this.’ He looked at me in surprise and then let me go. I swam across the
swimming pool and then around my dad and then got out of the water.
My dad stood beside me with a big smile on his face and
hugged me. I turned my face to see my nemesis in chaos, bobbing wildly like he
was furious, angry and frustrated with himself. I looked at him and said ‘I defeated you. You don't have any power over me. You never will.’ And I felt the fear seep out of my heart forever,
finally marking my win over my nemesis.
This post has been written for the ‘Rise above Fear’ campaign
from Mountain Dew hosted at Indiblogger.in
Click on the video for some motivation on how you can rise above fear.
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Photo Credit: www.flickr.com/photos/uaeincredible/217849066/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/34547181@N00/14232266164/
