Swim

I went swimming this morning.  And it was that deep down happy I was talking about a few months ago when I discovered I finally made peace with exercise.  It had been a while since I had been swimming, but the joy of it came back.  Let me tell you, I am not constantly doing laps or doing those cool flips at the end of the pool in order to turn around and not lose momentum.  In fact there were only laps in intervals, and in life, I have never been able to do the cool end-of-the-pool flip. 

Believe me, I have tried.  Water gets into my nose, and once I hit my head and got disoriented, and my overly active imagination imagined how I would get myself out of drowning if the coach wasn't watching me at all times. 

There's something nice though about not being the best at something and liking it anyway.  This, for me, is swimming. (And diving.)  But I grew up with swimming lessons, and I would say that, though I don't want to head for open water to do all major swimming, I am just fine in the pool at the gym. 



Swimming lessons in 4th grade were fun, but sometimes stressful.  Molly and I joke about this all of the time in review of our best memories.  We were advancing through swimming lessons together, and it got to Novice Team, and she didn't want to continue and I did. 

I remember her standing there, shivering, with a towel wrapped around her, asking me to stay back with her in Pre-Team Gold.  I had the body fat that kept me WAY warmer, but she had the good sense to cut loose and continue to enjoy swim team.  Novice Team was hard in 4th grade. 

There I was again, having to do the hardest thing but not having any of the right reasons for doing them.  I am so so glad to get that out of my system.  (At least mostly.) 

I remember thinking I wanted to advance, but did I actually want to do laps all of the time?   Well, I was in it, but sometimes I had to hold onto the lane dividers when the coach wasn't looking (or was).  Pride was a strong vice for me, even in 4th grade.  I would have preferred not to admit this need for a break mid-swim.

When the swim club had a giant pool party, Novice Team had to be in the deep end playing Fish and Whales to make room for the younger kids in the shallow end.  I remember treading water for a LONG TIME, desperately envious of the kids who stayed in Pre-Team Gold, and thinking, 'This was a very bad idea.'  I pretended the game was fun, and didn't cut out early (how embarrassing) and yet, climbing out of the pool after Fish and Whales made me so relieved it was like I was a shipwreck survivor instead, limp by the side of the pool, and needed to cough up some water in order to carry on.  

At least this was how I felt inside. 

Fast forward to today, where that is all a distant memory.  It was me, and 3 other people in this 4 lane pool.  One lady was doing water aerobics when I got there, and she was still doing them when I left. The other lady is one I've seen there before.  Also older, bright blue swimsuit and goggles...I think she is a regular.  And she just floats along.  (She has the right idea.)  Then came along an older man, who, before getting into the water, licked his ear plugs (in order to make them stay...?) and I about threw up in my mouth.  And there we were, all in our own mode, and I think quite happy to be there. 

An interesting fact that I know about the 6th president is that he used to get up in the morning and swim in the Potomac River to start his day.  Isn't that nice?  I thought about that when I was standing by my coffee maker today post-swim.  It's a really wonderful thing to start the day swimming. 

John Quincy Adams was a little more sensational in his approach in that he always swam naked in the Potomac.  But to each his own, I guess..?  It was an earlier time.  Before presidential body guards, and before as much slandering of the other candidate in campaigns.  Before as many people LIVED by the Potomac, but I argue it still may have been a little weird.   My students think this is hilarious.

Nonetheless, as far as morning swims go, I think he had the right idea.