“All Good Writing is Swimming Under Water and Holding Your Breath.”

I forgot how awesome it is to swim.

I have been swimming since I exited the womb...or well, while I was in the womb perhaps. Swimming is second nature to me. Water is my second home. They always say the water signs of Western astrology feel at peace with water, that they should, amongst other things, live near the water. If anything, I would love for that to be the case. Water has powerful qualities as I have gone on about here.

I would like to provide a few background facts of my history with water. I used to be on a swim team for several years in my younger years. I won several ribbons and trophies for the countless races I was involved in. I was also particularly special due to the fact that I'm deaf, that I have to take my hearing aids off when I swim. It sure as hell didn't stop me. But it did give me an intimate relationship with my coaches. On top of that, I've gone on numerous camping trips and visits to lakes and oceans all throughout my life.

A little bit to why I don't swim often anymore [read the paragraph next to the photo of a man getting hit in the face by a soccer ball].

If I were home right now I would dig up some old photos of me swimming. Instead here's a photo of me right now, post-swim, using my friend's awesome webcam.



 I forgot how awesome it is to swim.

I mostly stood in my friend's pool and laid on a floaty last week.
But yesterday I really swam, submerged myself in water. Enjoyed the kisses of the sun. Enjoyed the peaceful quiet that accompanies my hearing aid-less visits underwater. Enjoyed the sensual water touch every inch of my skin. Enjoyed the feeling of my wet hair on my shoulders. Enjoyed the reduction of gravity.

I forgot how awesome it is to swim.

I felt energized afterwards. My skin was soft. I wasn't hot as usual for the water reduced the heat that radiates through me during the late afternoons in the Arizona heat. I felt I had accomplished something with myself. I woke up in the middle of the morning today and noticed the soreness of my inner thighs. I laughed after I told myself I didn't have sex although I was confused where that familiar pain originated. Then I remembered that I swam. I smiled at the pain. But I couldn't go back to sleep, I had only slept about five hours and I felt energized enough to stay awake. It was perfect because I had planned to get up early while the sun was high in the sky to go swimming some more. That's exactly what I did.

I forgot how awesome it is to swim.

On land I may not be the most graceful person around. But in water, grace is natural. Water allows me to be something I can't be otherwise. When alone, I couldn't be more grateful for the silence I experience. It is so utterly peaceful, especially with the full view of the sky above me. I can hear some of the louder waves of water around me. Just the right volume.

I forgot how lovely it is to swim.