Earliest Memory

                    My first memory was when I was 5 months old. Insane I know! But I have a really good memory for distant things and I have a terrible memory for things that I need to do, like chores and remembering homework. Anyways, my first memory was in a pool at a gym my parents used to go to when we lived in Toronto. Not only was my earliest memory, but one that shaped my life.

                   I remember being completely fascinated with every single thing that was at the gym, especially the pool. I didn’t know what anything was, but couldn’t stop curiously looking around the whole time. I remember first seeing the pool. There weren’t any lane ropes and it was large and blue.  I remember there was a hot tub in the far right corner and stairs on the right side of the pool, the change rooms were on the left. The air felt moist, and warm. My dad was holding me while we waited for my mom to come out of the change room.

                    When I entered the water it felt like a huge relief, because back then my mom used to smother me in clothing. I felt relaxed, and the water felt cool on my skin. As my dad was walking into the pool, I was curiously looking around and looking at different perspectives of the room. While I was looking around, I suddenly felt zero g. I was put under water and all of a sudden everything was cool and calm. I could see the blurriness of a bearded, bald fellow-my dad, and under water I could hear a muffled thumping sound. I now know that sound was my heart beating. This moment in time changed my life because it created a love for water.
                   
                    Now I only do water sports. I swim competitively, free drive, scuba, sail, skim board, surf and soon will be kite surfing (if my mom ever lets me). Back when I was five months old, I didn't even know oceans or pools existed, but now I know almost everything about them. That first experience created a messed up love for water, but sometimes you need a really messed up love for something.