Swimming – One Of The Best Feelings I Can Imagine

Swimming is one of the best feelings in the world that I can imagine.When I am in the water, nothing else really matters anymore. Not the test I failed, not the argument I had with someone, not the everyday struggles of life, nothing matters, it is just me and the water.The way the water in the pool surrounds me is enough to take any burden off my mind.

The water is my friend. It has been there for me on the days I just needed a break from life itself. Water has a way of comforting me. It listens to what I can’t say. It understands how I truly feel. It is there to support me.There could be plenty of other people in the pool, but I would still feel like it is only the water and myself. I love the water. You do have to moderate your breathing and pay attention, but generally speaking it takes little effort. So you are suspended in the water at the depth of your choosing. With minimal movement you can propel yourself forward with the feeling of nothing beneath you, you fly. The less effort you take, the more successful your movement is.It is a remarkable feeling that, if you are lucky enough or determined enough to be able to experience it, you will never forget, long after it is over.Swimming pools or just being in the water is also relaxing, but I prefer my water experience to be vast, blue, full of life and at least 30 feet down. Felt free. Looking around the pool (we were training) and moving around felt like I could fly. If she dives, what happens? All background noises would probably fade away. What else? Clear but blue, the water glides over me, wrapping me n a cold cocoon. The water is alive with the movement, as is all water the slides and flows.I became one with the water.

When I'm in the water I'm elementally myself, floating free of any worries, selfconsciousness or physical discomfort.And I start to notice and enjoy little visuals. Tilting my head as I breathe, getting that view right across the water's horizontal. The sun, if there is one, glancing off my wet arching arm. The rain, flicking and pinging the surface.Then comes the real mindful stuff. Maybe "mindless" is a more apt word: when my body's cruising and my head goes elsewhere, solving, chuckling to itself, thinking – or actually not. Nothing. Like dreaming or being nowhere. Suddenly a leaf hitting my goggles wakes me, reminds me to invent windscreen wipers for outdoor swimmers. And then I'm back and I'm done and I get out, water runs off me and I pad to the shower, conscious of my physical self again.When I'm swimming, I'm in the moment fully, purely experiencing. I float free of all the shit I carry around (I'm tempted to say "literally" at this point, though of course not exactly). I'm entirely, elementally myself. Let the day chuck everything it has at me. I'm right in it, alive. I'll make time to feel alive again tomorrow.What is water? Some people say we can’t live without it. We need it for survival. It is their enemy. It is their friend. It is unpredictable and wild, yet it is tame and inviting. Water… so undefinable. But to me, the pool is my home, the water is my best friend, treading water in a clear, azure Mediterranean, craggy cliffs surrounding me, I felt a wonderful sense of wellbeing. As I swam further out and immersed myself in the salty water, this sense of contentment got stronger. By the time I returned to the beach, I couldn’t remember what the argument was about – let alone care who had won.

The water feels as thick as molasses, yet slipperier than ice.I feel like I'm on a slip "n" slide on my side shooting along, while at the same time I am able to grab hold of the water and pull myself along with no effort whatsoever.