Oakley the Octopus Likes to Swim

From the Around the Corner Newsletter Issue 6:

     I was born in the ocean, so I’ve been swimming for as long as I can remember. At first, I did not like to swim very much. As the youngest child in my family, I could not keep up with my older brothers and sisters. I was always the last one to arrive whenever our family would go to the Dolphin Dive to listen to music, and I would come in last whenever we raced.
     I was about to give up. Then my mother told me a secret. Imagine my surprise when she said that I actually could swim much faster than any of my brothers and sisters could when they were my age! Once I discovered that, I realized I just had to swim a little harder and a little longer every day as I grew, and one day I would be as fast as everyone else. That's what I did.
     It did not happen overnight, but now I’m the fastest swimmer in my family. I'm even teaching some of my friends how to swim. Find a good teacher and keep practicing. You’ll be swimming in no time. See you Around the Corner!

Your friend,
Oakley the Octopus