SuzyQuzy
HH-52 Spiritual Practices
I started swimming 2 to 3 times a week about 5 years ago. I swear it saved my life. Back then my life felt out of control. Swimming gave me control. I started off swimming one lap at a time, resting between each lap. Eventually I worked my way up to swimming 10 laps, then 20, then a full mile each time. I was accomplishing the goals I had set in the pool. It felt phenomenal. Suddenly everything didn't seem so overwhelming.
The pool became my sanctuary. While I may have been surrounded with chaos, the rush of the water in my ears blocked it out. When I'm underwater, I feel like I'm in an entirely different world. Sounds are muffled and vision is distorted. I've had many people tell me that lap swimming is boring. I love the monotony of it. It is the only time of my day when my thoughts flow freely. It's meditative. My mind clears and all of a sudden 30 minutes will have slipped away and I won't be conscious of having actively thought about anything. Other times, the chipped and faded lane lines become like Rorschach art, sometimes I'll see a gent in a top hat or bunny hoping along the lane line. There are also times I'll work on resolving some type of issue that I'm having, whether it is a problem with work or an issue I'm having in a relationship.
I've often joked with people when they ask me if I go to church I tell them "yes, all the time . . . the pool is my church". But it's no joke. I worship the water.
HH-52 Spiritual Practices
I started swimming 2 to 3 times a week about 5 years ago. I swear it saved my life. Back then my life felt out of control. Swimming gave me control. I started off swimming one lap at a time, resting between each lap. Eventually I worked my way up to swimming 10 laps, then 20, then a full mile each time. I was accomplishing the goals I had set in the pool. It felt phenomenal. Suddenly everything didn't seem so overwhelming.
The pool became my sanctuary. While I may have been surrounded with chaos, the rush of the water in my ears blocked it out. When I'm underwater, I feel like I'm in an entirely different world. Sounds are muffled and vision is distorted. I've had many people tell me that lap swimming is boring. I love the monotony of it. It is the only time of my day when my thoughts flow freely. It's meditative. My mind clears and all of a sudden 30 minutes will have slipped away and I won't be conscious of having actively thought about anything. Other times, the chipped and faded lane lines become like Rorschach art, sometimes I'll see a gent in a top hat or bunny hoping along the lane line. There are also times I'll work on resolving some type of issue that I'm having, whether it is a problem with work or an issue I'm having in a relationship.
I've often joked with people when they ask me if I go to church I tell them "yes, all the time . . . the pool is my church". But it's no joke. I worship the water.