To continue with my previous post about swim suit shopping, I’m happy to report that I found myself a swim suit!

Oh how wonderful it felt to be in the water again! Even now as I take a deep breath and close my eyes and think back to my Saturday morning swim I can’t help but smile as I recall the memory. I usually like to gradually get into the water, but not this time. It had been almost a year since I’d been in the water, and granted the last time I was in the pool I was about 6 months pregnant so I wasn’t doing much but just floating around. So Saturday morning I put on my goggles and dove right in. I can’t even describe how beautiful it felt to feel the water all around me and the shock of it’s coolness travel throughout every inch of my body.

I have such fond memories of swimming. It’s my little slice of heaven. When I was a kid we had a pool in our back yard and my brother and I would spend hours and hours in there. I would pretend to be a mermaid and dive deep in the pool and imagine hidden worlds beneath the water. My brother and I would use the hose and other different items to divide sections of the pool and we would pretend each section was a different room. I remember countless times that we would be in the water until late in the night and begging my mom to let us stay longer.

I’ve never been very athletic and surprised myself in High School when I decided to join the swim team and found I was quite good at it. I had found that special place where I belonged, where it didn’t matter what insecurities or worries I had because once I was in the pool it all disappeared. I remember being on the Varsity team and our Coach having us come in at 5:30am to practice before school started and how nothing could make me happier than starting off my morning with a vigorous workout. I am so thankful to him for that. Even on those days where he pushed us beyond what we thought we could do, I always felt so happy, like that was where I belonged. I remember getting lost in the feel of the water and forgetting whatever pains my heart was going through at the time. It all just got washed away, even if just for a few hours.

And I realized yesterday that even as the years go by and changes in my life come and go, what I feel when I’m swimming hasn’t changed. I still feel such an immense comfort and happiness when I’m making waves and losing myself in the water and just allowing it to carry me through. And I can’t wait to do more of it this year!