A Record To Remind Us

Rah Rah Rah for the oldies! Sixty four year old Diana Nyad, endurance swimmer,  became the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without the help of a shark cage. Yes, sharks chewing on the swimmer is one of the high possibilities of that swim. To make the swim without the cage is astounding courage. It took 53 hours after she began her journey in Havana for her to arrive in Miami.

She had been slurring her words while she was out in the water. She was on a stretcher on the beach and received an IV before she was taken by ambulance to a hospital but was ok. Doctors expected to find massive stings from rays, dehydration and severe burns from the intense sun of that area. Apparently the old girl did quite well because she was released from the hospital in good condition.

She wore a full body suit, gloves, booties and a mask at night, when jellyfish rise to the surface. The new silicone mask caused bruises inside her mouth, making it difficult for her to talk, she told her team when she was about 2 kilometers from land. (The swim was a total of about 100k). It's such a phenomenal feat at her age.....err, for any age. Diana tried it twice before in her youth but failed. I think is is a good feel story because it lets everyone know, old and young, that persistence and effort are not lost values, even in this age of entitlement. She had a dream (an odd dream, but a dream nonetheless), very few people could do and she did it.

Haha This does not imply I will get off my sofa, leave my potato chips and start swimming again.  Living vicariously off this is best suited for me. I think it is enough because it lets me and others know we can achieve what seems unrealistic when we stop depending on others and undertake tasks ourselves.  Not depending on the government  for free "stuff" or anyone else to "help" us when we fall behind is probably the greatest single need in the U.S and many other places. Whether she knows it or not, Diana has shown us self reliance and determination never get old or die.