You know there are those things in life that you always say that you want to do….just to say that you’ve done it? Well, one of the lightbulb moments for me lately has been that the line between doing something and not doing something is really thin.

This past week-end was the Midmar Mile Week-end. For those of you not familiar with swimming, it is the largest swimming event of its kind in the world. There are approximately 17 000 people who enter and the ages range from 10 to 80 years. So, Clint and I made a bet in December with friends that we would attempt this swim…..needless to say that Clint and I entered but the people who were the instigators pulled out.

We started our training in January, and I so clearly remember my first swimming session - I could barely make five lengths without feeling as if my heart was entering a Formula One race! We slowly got better and were able to swim the 1.6km about a week before the 10th of February. We arrived, very excited and nervous on a warm and sunny Saturday the 10th of February where we registered and got our coloured caps. There were some family and corporate events on the Saturday, so we were able to see just how small people actually look in the midmar dam.

Sunday arrived (way to quickly) and it was raining and overcast. I was prepared for no one else to show up because it was too cold so then I wouldn’t have to swim Well, no such luck. Everything went ahead as normal - except that it was the worst weather that they have experienced in the 34 years that midmar has been “swimming”. So, the only thing to do was to swim! It felt a bit like swimming in the sea and at any given moment I expected a film crew to fly over for a scene in Deep Blue something. There must have been about three times during the 37 minute swim where I wanted to call over the lifeguard and get a lift back to shore. It was really really tough.

BUT the thing is that we did it. We stepped over that thin line and can now say that we swam the midmar mile in 2007 - the most difficult year ever! I want to encourage you to take that step over the thin line and do those things that you have always wanted to do.