Drifting Mindlessly In The Open Water
A long-time ocean swimmer once said, “I think my best ocean swims have occurred when I am able to empty my brain and find a place of peace in the water.
I compare this to swimming in a pool where I am always counting laps and watching my splits and intervals. In the ocean, I see starfish, Garibaldis, dolphins, and rays. In the pool, my arms occasionally hit the plastic lane lines.
If I am swimming with people, I might get distracted from my clear mind and start making up nicknames for people or come up with a killer idea for an art piece or a title for that art will appear out of the water. I love those times. If I am hurting, cold or unhappy, I observe the pain. If it does not go away, I will bargain with myself to receive something if I can achieve my goal. It can be small like a pedicure, a glass of wine or pizza.
But my mind drifts here and there, there and back. How fortunate are we?.”
Copyright © 2013 by Open Water Swimming
