I've had my ups and downs as a collegiate swimmer — and it has taken me a long time to be able to put the words into writing. But the more I tried, it turned into a poem.

Find gratitude in everything, even if you can't see it at the time.

You're staring at the water

Praying for time to pass

You dive in, head first

Then blink and you're off to class.

Before you even know it

You blink your eyes again

And those boys you've entered school with

Have turned into handsome men.

Each day you're working hard

And somedays you want to quit

But it's the team that you're apart of

That makes the pain worth it

So turn your attitude into gratitude

Lift you gaze up to the sun

Because those voices in your head

Will quiet when you're done.

So take all these precious moments

And make each one of them last

Because if you're counting down the days

You'll forget the ones that passed.

So take off your cap and goggles

Then hang your suit up to dry

And make your only regret be

How quickly time went by.