Saturday, November 22, 2014

Don't Be Early Play Hamlet

So this past Wednesday and Thursday I competed in the LHSAA State Swim Meet for my last time, as I will be graduating this school year (hopefully). After the first, qualifying day, I began to think about this exact idea: that this State Meet would be my last one ever. "I was a St. Martin's Swimmer for eight years. EIGHT YEARS! That's just a year less than half my own age!" I thought. The sport was a huge part of my identity, I wasn't sure if I could handle it just ending like that, and, to be honest, I am still unsure that I can part with it so easily. I decided that the next day, Finals Day, I would try my hardest and put all of my effort into my races for my team and for my team and for myself. Can you guess what happened that day? I swam my fastest times ever. By putting all of my effort and drive into this one activity, one that had defined me for years, I was able to push past my limits and achieve something I never had before.
Anyway, my point is that I learned to not be like Early Play Hamlet. I learned that instead of just thinking about what I might be able to do if I pushed myself, I should use the feelings and drive I get from those thoughts to ACTUALLY do it. To push myself as an athlete, an intellectual, and as an individual. I can honestly say that I had experienced nothing greater in my life than I experienced at that moment, and I plan on experiencing it again. And I know that this idea to push yourself to grow as an old one to you all, especially when I know that everyone reading this has pushed themselves to get where they are today, but I will say it again: work hard and do what you feel is right because you never know when you will be able to do those things again.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

I think there is a lot to be said for being a combination of a (wo)man of action and a (wo)man of thought. I think that what made this experience such a powerful one for you is that you combined thought and action. You thought about this being the last time you would swim for the STM team and about what swimming meant to you, and you made those thoughts into actions.

I don't think you acted completely opposite of Hamlet. I think the complete opposite of Hamlet always thinking and never acting would be never thinking and always acting. I think the combination of acting and thinking is what produced such a powerful result for you.

PS: Congrats on the swim meet!

Sri Korrapati said...

Early Play Hamlet put thought into something, but never acted. That reminds me of when KP yells at me for thinking about how to act instead of actually acting. Don't over-act, don"t over-sing. Thinking is good, but doing is better (in some cases).
For example, think of Adrenaline: fight or flight, you don't have time to think; you have to act! It could save your life.
I'm not saying thinking is bad, but it all depends on the situation. If the situation calls for sudden decision...