My high school swim team coach is standing over me while I am in the diving pool. He asks me to kick my feet and move my hands to stay above the water, but I am definitely drowning. One of the divers on the team jumps in and brings me up. I gasp and cough for air. This was my first day at swim practice. It's that moment when swimming was the scariest thing, yet today I yearn everyday to be able to swim.

Swimming for me is like meditation. I am surrounded by a kind of calm and peace of the water that is incomparable and uncanny. It's just me and my strength when I am in the water. Swimming for me also symbolizes life. Like water, the problems in life keep coming like waves and you have to keep tackling them, overcoming them, and then moving on to the next set of waves. Whenever I am in the water, I get to clear my head and escape from the stresses and activities of daily life.

In addition to being the most relaxing hobby I have, swimming is also the best exercise as it uses every part of the body. An hour of moderate swimming can burn around 500 calories. I used to hate running, but swimming is the best substitute to the cardio workout much needed for the heart. Swimming has also made me realize the importance of keeping your body fit. When I first started I couldn't even swim halfway in a 25 yard pool, but by the end of the first swim season, I could swim 50 yards with no problem.

I believe in the meditative and inspiring powers of swimming. I also believe everyone needs to learn how to swim.