Passing the swim test... In the snow

Emily, Mary and I went to the YMCA today to swim today after having been gone for a week.  It was neat to swim and see the snow falling outside.  We made a deal that we would swim and play for 30 minutes and then I could swim some laps and then go back to swim and play some more.  So that’s what we did.  We played and messed around for about thirty minutes and then went to the lap pool.  I turned my laps while the girls sat with their feet dangling in the 10 foot section - while the lifeguard was watching.  Got that done and Emily asked if she could jump into the 10 foot section and swim to the ladder.  Fine with me, she can swim.  For several weeks, I have been sort of pushing her to take this swimming test that the Y wants kids to take so that they can go down the slide and generally swim unsupervised, at least by parents.  So, after jumping in and getting to the ladder, I began to ask her why not just go ahead and ask the lifeguard to watch her for the test.  She kept on saying yes, then no, then yes...  saying she was nervous.  I finally got her on a ‘yes’ moment and got the lifeguard to watch.  Now Emily, as some of you know, is or can be as determined as anyone when it comes to proving herself.  So, there we were, Emily, Mary, me and the lifeguard.  The lifeguard told her she had to swim w/o stopping across and then back.  Em gave me the 'look', went under, pushed off the wall, came up, and was swimming like I have never seen - kicking, head down, taking breaths, digging deep - she owned that lap.  We get to the other side, she took a breather and did it again.  When she got to the other side, the lifeguard looked at her and smiled and said, “OK, good job... go slide”.  I guess in the grand scheme of things this was a small hurdle, but it was good to see her go after something hard.  The best part may have been that Mary was as happy for Emily as Emily was for herself.