back in the water again….

this week i am finally back into the swimming pool.  it’s been so long and it’s nice to be back in the water again.  i’ve been twice this week already.  i didn’t want to go when it was so bitterly cold outside (wet hair and all that) and i just haven’t been making swimming a part of my schedule and so… it hasn’t happened for awhile.  i find that the only way that i actually do get into the pool is if i just build it into my plan for the day and don’t think about it too much.  the minute i begin thinking about it, i’m sure to come up with a good excuse to put off swimming until another day.  but usually, by the time i kick off from the edge of the pool for the first lap, it feels good to be back in the water.  unlike running and biking (at least indoor biking) i have no way to distract my brain while swimming (and outdoor biking usually has enough scenery to be distracting).  sometimes i get caught up in a bad thought loop (obsessing about an incident earlier in the day, worrying about the future, etc.) but most of the time, the rhythm of swimming, the monotony of it, gives me time to get totally sick of these negative thoughts and also allows the space to re-direct to things i’d rather ponder (brainstorming for upcoming projects, dreaming of travel plans….).  in some ways, it’s sort of like meditating.  there’s the measured, conscious breathing; the still, quiet space (more or less); the repetitive physical motion.  if i concentrate on my strokes, i am pulled inevitably into the “now”–a very hard place to stay, but a nice place to aim to notice more often.

i am beginning to give in to the allure of spring.  i’ve been trying to hold back and still enjoy the winter that continues to surround us so that if (when) it snows again before true spring shows up i won’t be disappointed.  but today, i wore only a corduroy jacket and no winter coat.  a girl could get used to this weather.  the daffodils i bought a few days ago are helping with the illusion.  when i was growing up, my mom had a bunch of daffodils planted right beside our porch.  they always came up right around my birthday each year.  their trumpets sing of spring.  at least… they do if they come out of your garden.  ah well, these from the grocery will have to do for now.