On Labor Day, Diana Nyad stumbled onto a beach in Key West, Florida.
Nearly 53 hours after jumping into the ocean in Havana, Cuba, she finally completed a lifelong dream to swim 103 miles from Cuba to Florida.
Diana Nyad is 64 years old. This was her fifth attempt, the first coming when she was 29. Exhausted, sunburned, and obviously elated, she greeted onlookers with words of encouragement.
“I got three messages. One is we should never, ever give up. Two is you never are too old to chase your dreams. Three is it looks like a solitary sport, but it’s a team.”
Some might think swimming more than 100 miles in shark-infested seas is silly, maybe even crazy. They’re probably right. It’s as crazy as cranking a handcycle 1500 miles.
The long road to ‘that’s amazing’ often begins at ‘that’s crazy.’
See, the dream isn’t so much about the specific accomplishment. It’s about determination and perseverance. It’s about believing and not giving up when giving up would be the sensible choice.
The dream is a story waiting to be told. It’s writing an interesting story, overcoming the obstacles, reaching the goal regardless of effort. It’s a story of courage, passion, and love.
The dream is a story of hope.
The dreamer realizes the truly crazy choice is to settle for less than what’s possible.
So he follows the dream on a journey of hope, and learns along the way that hope changes what’s possible.
Diana Nyad knew she’d suffer during her 100-mile swim, but she told herself to keep going, to reach out each hand and push Cuba farther away and pull Florida closer. When things got tough she held onto her personal mantra: “Find a way.”
Most people find excuses. Dreamers find a way.
We don’t have to settle for go-to-work-to-get-the-money-to-buy-the-stuff. We don’t have to huddle in fear. Diana Nyad’s swim proves most of us aren’t even approaching the potential with which God’s blessed us.
In an interview the day after her accomplishment, Nyad said, “I think that a lot of people in our country have gotten depressed, pinned in, pinned down with living lives they don’t want.
“Tell me what your dreams are. What are you chasing? It’s not impossible. Name it. Do it.”
Amen.
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