Gratitude for swimming

I'm grateful for swimming

I got hooked on swimming while I was in college. I tagged along to a Masters pool workout with a competitive swimmer. (Masters means you are over the age of 18.) He swam with the fast swimmers, and I swam in the slowest lane with a goal of getting to the far end 8 times. My distance and love of swimming grew very slowly grew from there. I'm not fast but it's relaxing and makes you focus on breathing; it's kind of a moving meditation. It's taken me places too-- to do the Rough Water one mile swim around the Santa Cruz wharf on multiple occasions. I also did a few triathlons "just to finish" and more importantly I created some special memories.

I fondly recall a one mile-ish open water swim across a perfect empty turquoise bay with snowy white sand in the Caribbean, while Daev walked that beach. Then we hiked a trail to a peak at that end of the island that included going through and around the edges of a vertical facing volcanic bubble that was part of the trail. And there was a different magical Caribbean swim at The Baths at Virgin Gorda, where I saw a perfect line of synchronized squid swimming toward me-the only thing to see against the white sand--Pro tip: arrive early to avoid the crowds.

Not to mention the various swims at beaches on the Hawaiian Islands where I sometimes felt like I was swimming in a tropical fish tank. And I swam off the coast of Singapore, Rapa Nui (Easter Island) in a place where I imagined the original islanders taking a dip, and at various European pools--some memorably swanky.

I also used the time in the pool to process the emotional issues that came up during the inevitable passing of a dear family member who had cancer. No one notices tears inside your goggles. Swimming helped clear my head of work stress, life stress, and helped me be a better person. Even my then teen-aged step daughter would tell me "Go the the pool and swim. You're cranky!" and I'd feel better by the time I got back.

I wasn't a good swimmer the first few years, but over time a few coaches gave me tips that sunk in. My favorite is "Present your body to the water like a racing yacht not a garbage scow" - and swim mostly on your sides. As you corkscrew through the water with your hips driving you side to side you generate a lot of power. That also makes it super easy to breathe because you just need to turn your head slightly to clear the water's surface. And there's less stress on your shoulders because the hips are doing much of the work.

I hope I've tempted you to enjoy your next dip!