The Strait Story, Part I

I think it is time for the silent contributor to break their silence.  You need to know that, for me, this goal was born out of a dream and a school lesson.  I am a husband, father, and high school teacher.  As I began to push deeper into my thirties it became increasingly obvious that I needed to find a way to exercise regularly.  I had tried weight lifting and running with some colleagues,  but this always fell apart at the end of the school year.  Added to this was my apathy towards running.  However, I have always loved the water.  I find it to be a place of peace and refreshment, having been a scuba diver since I was 15.  In January 2012 I joined the local Y and decided that I would begin lap swimming, never having done anything like that in my life.  It was harder and more fulfilling than any physical activity I had done to that point and I found myself actually looking forward to working out!  I loved my nice clear pool water with the handy black guide line on the bottom, always pointing me in the right direction.

Last fall I had a dream one night that was as vivid as any I had ever had.  I was on a plane flying over the ocean and then, all at once, I wasn't.  The plane had gone down and there I was floating in the sea all alone.  Far from being afraid, I took off swimming in the direction that I knew land must be.  I swam and swam, feeling relaxed and free.  Occasionally, I would see a passing ship and wave to them to get picked up, but they would glide by me without even a deviation of course.

Later that week when giving a geography lesson to my 9th grade about Europe, I pointed out the Strait of Gibraltar to them we discussed its importance in history.  I told them how it was such a narrow point between Europe and Africa and whoever controlled it, controlled access between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.  I then wondered out loud if anyone had ever swam across it.  Students, being eager to go down rabbit trails, begged me to find out.  Me, being an eager rabbit chaser as well, indulged them and a quick internet search led us to a video of someone swimming the Strait and while watching the video I couldn't believe it when I saw the first cargo ship off in the distance while the swimmer plowed ahead!  It was just like my dream!  I remembered how it felt in the dream to swim without reaching a tile wall every 25 yards.  After more research, I was hooked.

I teach at an inner city school and I spend a great deal of time within the context of my lessons extolling the importance of LIVING life.  For me this is a quest to do that.  I want to show my students, my children, and myself that anything is possible if you work hard enough.  I have spent my life in awe of the sea.  I have explored the wonders beneath the waters where all is quiet and still.  Now I want the chance to conquer the relentless power on the surface and swim from one continent to another.  I want to spend a day in a Speedo at the mercy of the wind and waves and fight back.  I want to create an international incident when I wash ashore in Morocco in my American flag Speedo, sunburned and tired.