Overcoming My Fear

When I was six years old, I used to have a toy that my mom would put into the bathtub that I loved playing with. That same year, I remember drowning in the water in my apartment.

I can’t forget it and this is why I have a fear of water.

One day I was playing with that toy rubber duck, the one I loved.

Every time it was bath time my mother would put the toy into the bath and then come and get me and put me in the bath.

And then in a blink of eye it was over for me. So I thought, anyway. I was not answering, or breathing, or anything like that.

I was under the water for a little while but it felt like forever. My mom saved my life and I was okay, but I was very scared and I said I’m not going back into the water ever again. And ever since then, I never did go into water like baths again.

Until I joined women on wheels group and I met a fearless woman named Natalia. She has almost the same disability as me and I always thought that she is almost like me. But she was never scared of anything, and I mean nothing at all. I was surprised that she was a chef—now that is amazing.

Then she invited me to go on a boat ride called the Impossible Dream. At that time I was scared. Everything just came back to me all at once and I said, "No, not me, the only water I am going to be doing is drinking water and bathing, and that’s all."

But Natalia said, "Imani try it,"  and that I would like it. And I still said, "No not me!"

Then everyone said to do it and that nothing would happen to me! They all said, "Come on Imani" and I said "No!"

Then I was thinking about it at night.  And then I called the Impossible Dream and I asked so many questions about it.

After that I was saying to myself, "You're not a kid anymore, woman up. Natalia can do it, why can’t  I?"

And so I did and I was very proud to know that I can do that. I accomplished that fear to overcome it!