Marathon Swimmer
She grew up in a family that saw very little of her father. And when he was around…he certainly wasn’t welcomed. He was abusive to her and to her mother. As for her mom…she was a person that for whatever reason couldn’t express or show her love to her children. So Diana…being the oldest of three children became the caretaker and comforter to her siblings. For most…this environment would have been enough of a challenge. But for Diana it was only the beginning.
She went out for the swim team and at the first practice the coach noticed some real potential in her. She began to pour herself into her swimming. She awoke at 4:30 AM for training. She stayed late at school to train some more. And through her commitment and dedication she went on to set school and state records. She set her sights on the 1968 Olympics but was sidelined with a heart condition and was unable to make the team. But during that time she suffered more; by the hands of her coach who sexually assaulted her five times during the course of her high-school swimming career. Too embarrassed to say anything she kept silent until well after high school.
How does a person recover from such a childhood? How do they find the energy to go on? How can they find the ability to focus on something other than just surviving?
It seems odd to think that some of the greatest accomplishments have come through people who have faced the greatest adversity. It seems that although some people would seem to have the perfect environment to foster the greatest successes in life…they end up with mediocre accomplishments. And others that seemingly should just be happy to have survived and made it out alive have gone on to set world records and have provided inspiration to thousands if not millions of people.
What did Diana Nyad go one to accomplish?
· From 1969 to 1979 Diana was the greatest long-distance swimmer in the world
· In 1979 she stroked the longest swim ever recorded in the world by swimming from the island of Bimini to Florida. A distance of 102.5 miles. The accomplishment took more than two days of constant swimming. The record held for 18 years.
· She became an announcer for Fox Sports News, CNBC Host, ABC Sports Announcer, Host of her own radio program and author of three books.
So how does one person who was forced to face so many obstacles go on to accomplish so much?
I believe it is how that person chooses to view the obstacles. Nyad recalls her actions after one of her attacks. She swam in a meet that same day and lost for the first time. She recalls jumping into the diving pool and swimming to the bottom of that pool and screaming as loud as she could, “This is not going to ruin my life!”
Trauma, setbacks, unfair treatment, being taken advantage of, being cheated on…any of these things and so many more…they can ruin your life only if you allow them to. It is always our choice.
Diana Nyad had a choice to make. Would she allow the circumstances and the obstacles of her life define her or would she define her own life?
In an interview with her younger sister…her sister recalls the cold treatment of her mom and she realized that there was something strange going on when her dad was around. But she recalls that there were many happy moments in her life…and they always involved her older sister Diana. She says that Diana made their home life as happy of a place as it could be. Ironic since Diana was the one taking the abuse.
Your circumstances and situations only define what you allow them to define.
What are you defining for your life?
1 Thessalonians 5:15-18 – “Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else. Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.”
Have a blessed day,
RodZ
© 2008 – Rodney Zimmerman – All rights reserved
She grew up in a family that saw very little of her father. And when he was around…he certainly wasn’t welcomed. He was abusive to her and to her mother. As for her mom…she was a person that for whatever reason couldn’t express or show her love to her children. So Diana…being the oldest of three children became the caretaker and comforter to her siblings. For most…this environment would have been enough of a challenge. But for Diana it was only the beginning.
She went out for the swim team and at the first practice the coach noticed some real potential in her. She began to pour herself into her swimming. She awoke at 4:30 AM for training. She stayed late at school to train some more. And through her commitment and dedication she went on to set school and state records. She set her sights on the 1968 Olympics but was sidelined with a heart condition and was unable to make the team. But during that time she suffered more; by the hands of her coach who sexually assaulted her five times during the course of her high-school swimming career. Too embarrassed to say anything she kept silent until well after high school.
How does a person recover from such a childhood? How do they find the energy to go on? How can they find the ability to focus on something other than just surviving?
It seems odd to think that some of the greatest accomplishments have come through people who have faced the greatest adversity. It seems that although some people would seem to have the perfect environment to foster the greatest successes in life…they end up with mediocre accomplishments. And others that seemingly should just be happy to have survived and made it out alive have gone on to set world records and have provided inspiration to thousands if not millions of people.
What did Diana Nyad go one to accomplish?
· From 1969 to 1979 Diana was the greatest long-distance swimmer in the world
· In 1979 she stroked the longest swim ever recorded in the world by swimming from the island of Bimini to Florida. A distance of 102.5 miles. The accomplishment took more than two days of constant swimming. The record held for 18 years.
· She became an announcer for Fox Sports News, CNBC Host, ABC Sports Announcer, Host of her own radio program and author of three books.
So how does one person who was forced to face so many obstacles go on to accomplish so much?
I believe it is how that person chooses to view the obstacles. Nyad recalls her actions after one of her attacks. She swam in a meet that same day and lost for the first time. She recalls jumping into the diving pool and swimming to the bottom of that pool and screaming as loud as she could, “This is not going to ruin my life!”
Trauma, setbacks, unfair treatment, being taken advantage of, being cheated on…any of these things and so many more…they can ruin your life only if you allow them to. It is always our choice.
Diana Nyad had a choice to make. Would she allow the circumstances and the obstacles of her life define her or would she define her own life?
In an interview with her younger sister…her sister recalls the cold treatment of her mom and she realized that there was something strange going on when her dad was around. But she recalls that there were many happy moments in her life…and they always involved her older sister Diana. She says that Diana made their home life as happy of a place as it could be. Ironic since Diana was the one taking the abuse.
Your circumstances and situations only define what you allow them to define.
What are you defining for your life?
1 Thessalonians 5:15-18 – “Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else. Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.”
Have a blessed day,
RodZ
© 2008 – Rodney Zimmerman – All rights reserved
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