metaphor for my day

My goal was to swim across a river. First, I got my feet wet and lowered myself gingerly into the frigid water. Then I took the plunge and set out dog-paddling for the far shore - visible in the distance. Then I hit the real current and it caught me by surprise with its intensity - pushing me downstream, scraping me on a few a rocks, and through the rapid. I washed up in an eddy, resting for a few moments to catch my breath and then, once again, set out stroking for the shore. I made it, but I am in a much different place than I had seen from the opposite bank. I know I don't have the energy to swim the river again, so I can't return to where I started, but I can explore this new environment.