Just swim

If you told me that I could never swim again, I would be absolutely devastated. I love swimming. I just do. I go as often as I can. Sometimes that half hour at the pool is the best part of my day. I don't think I can describe it accurately.... But when I'm in the water, it's as if the world just ceases to exist, or just stops mattering. All there is, is that cold clean light world underwater. Life suddenly gets very simple at the pool. Stroke, stroke, stroke... Breathe. Kick your legs. Count the laps. Everything just slows right down.

Swimming is one of my favorite things to do. It probably sounds stupid, but the pool is one if my favorite places in the world. Especially my town pool. I find it is such a safe place. I learned how to swim there. We used to take the bus from school and go to P.E classes there. I used to go there every afternoon when I was a girl, and swim lap after lap, training to do well at the swimming carnivals. I think I have done thousands of laps there. Probably tens of thousands.

It was recently redone. They made it semi-indoor and they heated it. The current manager takes very good care of it, so it is very clean and nice to swim at. These past few days the heating has been broken (it breaks frequently and it's quite an issue, but we won't go into that) and so the water has been very cold. At 21 degrees. I think I might be the only person that actually doesn't mind it when the heating breaks, but I like the cold. It means that there are less people, and it's lovely having the entire pool to yourself. It's freezing yes, but it also makes you feel so alive!

The first few laps are horrible, your body aches from the cold, and your lungs feel like they could burst because you swim so much faster when it's cold. But after a while you settle and get into your rhythm. The first 10 laps go slow, and the next 10 seem to drag, but then if you can push past it and get to 30 or 40 laps, it is just so good. I try to reach 30 laps most generally. 40 on a good day, 20 on a bad one.

It's nice, doing something that is so good for you, you know? I like that I can set my own pace, depending on how I feel. And it's not the kind of exercise that leaves you hot and sweaty and disgusting. I find it just tires me out nicely, gets rid of all the stress of the day. I love it because it's time when I can exercise, but it doesn't feel like hard work. I don't have to think about the kids, or the house, or anything if I don't want to. I think that lately, it's been one of the things that is helping keeping me present. I love my kids, and my life, I really do. But it is still hard work. So that hour, or half hour, or however long I can manage to be away from the kids... it is just helping enormously lately.

Just swim.

Today I am (finally) linking up with BBeing Cool for her Team Friday linky. Why not come check it out? And say happy Birthday to B at the same time!!