Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Swimming

No topic, just jump in the pool of thoughts swimming around my head or life and run with it. Thoughts of swimming float to mind, how swimming has interwoven itself with its reflections of changes in my life. As sun dazzles us in its dance on all surfaces that are fluid, I see my many sides though how I have approached swimming. Starting as a youngster of four in summer camp being thrown in to fend for myself, (the sink or swim mentality) surrounded by camp mates and a group leader, gasping, I emerged, now christened by my fearless friends into ocean swimming. To floating or flailing through my teens and twenties and never really learning proper stroke technique through any of those years. Then, around thirty, laps became a means to being fit, something I never ever thought about before then. It was a couple of years later masters swimming found me in Santa Monica. I finally learned what a good stroke was and how to swim. I went from starting in lane one of fifteen to swimming in lane eight. (Lane 15 had ex-Olympic swimmers). I swam five days a week. I took workshops on weekends and was filmed underwater from every angle. I had my stroke analyzed, pulled apart and put back together till I knew every millimeter of it from the films. My right side, that has always suffered from being different, slightly twisted, and just never the same as my seemingly aligned left side, emerged and showed it’s quirkiness right there on film in my right side stroke. My coach, amazed, said he’d never seen a move like that. I swam my brains out through my thirties even jumping into competition for a while. I even went to the Nationals in Nashville just to have the experience. I burned out finally, over swam. Too much of a good thing is not so good. I took myself out of the pool and stopped for a long time. I’ve returned and swim now for the sheer delight of moving through water so efficiently. I approach it with great respect as water continues to reflect and dazzle me in the pool of life.

Mary

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