Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining

  

    Not everyone has had first hand experience with the phrase, “Every cloud has a silver lining.” But I have and I totally agree with this saying.

    I believe this phrase is true because it reminds me of an old saying everyone believes: “Failure is the mother of success.” The chance you had for success failed you, and the clouds covered up the sun. But the clouds are bound to move away sometime, and when that happens, failure gives birth to success. So don’t feel hopeless. There are always bright times ahead of you.

    Before I found my talent in swimming, I had been focusing on tennis as my main sport for almost four years. I was pretty good at it too, but after every intense match, I would have a serious ache in my kneecaps. With an X-ray checkup, my doctor told me that the pain was caused by the insufficient ratio of cartilage growth to bone growth, and that rest was the only cure. I had no idea which sport to take on if I quit tennis. My mom finally gave me the idea: swimming. Although the sport was still intense, there was not a lot of pressure on my knees, which helped a lot. After one year of practice with the Claremont Club swim team, not only did swimming improve my knee cartilage in the middle of my growth spurt, but it also gave me a pleasure that tennis could not bring, such as not sweating and getting sticky after working really hard. After a satisfying activity was denied from me, swimming showed up for me and made me a real athlete.

    My mom had a similar experience. When she became pregnant with me, she lost her reporter job because she could not keep up with the workload. But then, a miraculous offer from a small private company arose. It was an office job, without a lot of pressure. There was also a pretty good salary and lots of time to focus on family. All in all, this job was better for the health of both of us. The old door closed and another one opened up to a new opportunities.