They all thought that I was cheering for my recent accomplishment, but in reality, I was panicking.
In the summer of 2015, my family had our boat repaired. We began to take it out nearly every weekend and it was a blast! We rode out on the Potomac River, and ate at seafood restaurants on the water. Eventually that got a bit exorbitant, so my dad proposed we try something new… knee boarding. I had never participated in anything like it before, but I am always open to new experiences. It did not take me long to get the hang of it, in fact, even my little sister could do it after a couple of tries!
One day, my dad decided to take out his old skis. I was ecstatic to try them! I attempted every weekend to stand up on the skis, but it was so challenging! I rummaged through the internet for videos and suggestions, but for some reason my body did not want to cooperate. Until one Saturday afternoon, when my luck changed.
We rode out to a calm area of water near Colonial Beach,
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When I surfaced, my neck pinched and I could barely move. Thankfully, I had a life jacket on. The pain was immense! I yelled for my parents, but they did not seem to notice I was in pain. As they got closer, my mom realized what was going on and dove in after me. My dad helped pull me onto the boat and we made our way to the nearest hospital. Luckily, it was only a sprain and a pinched nerve.
This accident helped to shape my character in many ways. I am now able to stay composed in stressful situations because I learned that panicking only made the circumstances worse. I also became very adventurous. Although learning to ski ended poorly, I still appreciated the experience. I have gone on to try several other amazing activities. I have swam with manatees, and even gone on helicopter rides. However, the most important thing I learned is to cherish your mistakes because you’ll never know where they’ll lead