8Is It Time to Give Up?
It is not what we take up, but what we give up, that makes us rich.
—HENRY WARD BEECHER
My mom looked at me with love and a touch of warning and said, “Douglas, this is your last chance. Are you absolutely sure that you want to join the swim team this year?”
I looked up at her with the carefree attitude of a 9-year-old boy and replied, “Yeah.”
“Okay,” my mom said as she held a check while looking for any sign of hesitation. “Once I hand this check over, you’re committed for the season.”
This is how it went every October when my mom would sign me up for the winter season of AAU swimming. Every December, after the team had been practicing for about a month, I would tell my mom that I didn’t like swimming anymore. I wanted ...
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