What's surprising is that she was not an experienced swimmer, and before she began this challenge, she was told she wouldn't even be able to walk.

令人驚訝的是，她並非經驗豐富的游泳老手，甚至在挑戰長泳之前， 還曾被告知這輩子都不能走路。

Can you tell me what happened when you got into your accident?

可以談談妳的意外嗎？是怎麼發生的？

I was on my way to work, and I slipped down my staircase. And I hit my right leg on a ceramic pot. But I hit it at just the right point where it started to swell.

那時候我正要去上班，下樓梯時卻滑倒跌了下去， 右腳撞到一個陶瓶， 撞到的地方不偏不倚， 馬上腫了起來。

My next memory is waking up post-surgery 30 minutes from amputation from the knee down.

接下來我只記得自己在手術後醒來，要是再晚半小時，膝蓋以下就可能被截肢。

I remember the surgeon telling me, you know, we saved your leg, but we don't know what, if any, functionality you'll ever have. And that really was, I think, a really defining moment in my life.

醫生告訴我：「雖然我們保住了妳的右腿，但是我們無法保證妳的右腿是否還能夠有任何功能。」 我真的覺得那時候是我人生的一個轉捩點。

I could have gone down a really deep, dark hole. I mean, I could have accepted that, but I told myself, like, I was gonna prove them wrong. And then once I was doing physical therapy, I got into this routine.

我很可能沉淪到深沉的黑暗中，我的意思是，當初我當然可以就此認命，但我告訴自己，我要證明他們錯了。 所以物理治療一開始，我就養成這個習慣。

Being able to move was pretty magical, and I wanted to do more, and that's sort of how I got into swimming.

能夠走動真的是一件神奇的事，但這樣還不夠， 所以這也是我開始游泳的原因。

I knew how to swim, and I knew that that would make me feel a little more free. So I started swimming at a pool here in San Francisco. I got in, and I just loved it. I just felt really normal. I was like, yeah, I'm just another swimmer, and it was the beginning of this passion.

我會游泳，也覺得游泳讓我感到更自由。我開始天天到舊金山的泳池報到， 漸漸習慣了、也愛上游泳。 這時候我覺得自己十分正常， 感覺好像我就只是一個也會游泳的人。 我的熱情也由此而來。

After years of physical therapy, Kim not only learned to walk again, but she put all of her energy into accomplishing the Ocean's Seven, which consists of swims like the English Channel and the Cook Strait.

經過多年物理治療，Kim 不只能夠走路， 還全心投入泳渡七大水域的挑戰， 包括英吉利海峽， 以及紐西蘭庫克海峽。

The swims are as long as 26 miles and in temperatures as low as 53 degrees Fahrenheit. Some swims took Kim just four hours to complete, others nearly 20 hours.

長泳距離最長可以達到 42 公里，海水低溫可能只有 12 度。有幾次 Kim 只花了 4 小時便抵達終點，其他則是接近 20 小時的長征。

Tell me how swimming has become a ritual for you.

說說游泳怎麼變成妳的習慣吧。

It's something that is really sacred to me. I can't imagine my life without it. I start my day at 4:15 every morning. I train in a pool for about an hour and a half. I then go for another swim in the bay.

我覺得游泳很神聖， 我無法想像沒有游泳的生活。每天清晨 4:15 開始， 我就到泳池訓練約一個半小時， 結束後再去舊金山灣游一趟。

Tell me about one of your more challenging swims.

可以告訴我妳覺得比較困難的長泳嗎？

The most challenging swim so far for me has been from Northern Ireland to Scotland.

至今最困難的一次，是從北愛爾蘭游到蘇格蘭。

Kim is in a huge fight right now against this nasty current.

Kim 現在面臨巨大挑戰，海相非常惡劣。

I've been in for five minutes, and first jellyfish.

我才剛出發 5 分鐘，就有水母了。

I was stung hundreds of times, over 200 times, by these lion's mane jellyfish. I did make the swim. I did finish it. I don't really remember.

那次我被蟄了幾百次、超過兩百次， 都是這些獅鬃水母， 但我成功完成泳渡，不過那時記憶有點模糊。

And you're still getting back in the water.

妳還是不斷繼續游泳嗎？

I feel so transformed by these experiences. I don't think I ever really appreciated what my body could do for me.

我覺得這些經驗讓我蛻變，我以前從來不覺得能動就是福氣。

For these swims, you don't get a gold medal. You don't get a cash prize. You're not competing with anybody, and you're really competing with your mind.

這些渡海挑戰沒有獎牌，沒有獎金，沒有競爭對手，就是在和自己的意志力比賽。

Do you think that this ritual of swimming saved your life in some sense?

妳覺得游泳的習慣在某種意義上是否救了妳的命？

Absolutely. The ritual of swimming is so important for me. Every day, my body gets to be immersed in the bay.

當然，這個習慣對我而言非常重要，我每天全身沉浸在舊金山灣的海水之中。

I see a variety of birds out there. I see seals out there. You have these real amazing interactions with nature before most people are awake, and I can't imagine my life without it now.

我看見空中無數飛鳥，水中悠遊的海豹，我和大自然進行美妙的互動，而大部分的人仍在睡夢中。我無法想像沒有游泳後的人生。

In this next episode of "Rituals," click here to see how Jason Silva creates his "Shots of Awe."

請點擊「習慣」系列下一集，看看 Jason Silva 如何創作他的「驚嘆攝影」。

The disconnection from distraction gets your brain daydreaming. When you're in daydreaming mode, you start to do a little bit of the lateral thinking. So you start connecting this to that to this and you start to go through the a-ha moments.

切斷所有令人分心的事物，讓自己神遊太虛。在神遊狀態中，腦袋開始進行水平思考，開始連結各種想法， 突然間一切豁然開朗。

If you'd like to continue to see more stories from around the world, we need you to subscribe. Thanks for watching.

如果想繼續收看全球各地的故事，敬請訂閱。謝謝觀賞。