In this last full month of summer I want to be outdoors in my favorite element: water, and if possible, the sea, gulf, or Lake Michigan.
To swim is to immerse into this element and feel the bliss of weightlessness and the freedom of being unfettered by anything except swimsuit and goggles. Swimming downstream feels like flying.
With no lap lanes guiding the way, I sight an object on shore and don’t have to worry about running into another swimmer. Turning my head just enough to take in a breath, I can see the size of the oncoming waves.
If there's been a change of weather and the waves make it hard to do the front crawl, I go to breaststroke and enjoy the undulating motion of the swells. When it's calm, the backstroke offers views of clouds and birds, and even an occasional butterfly.
Underwater, the rest of the world blurs. If it's clear, I may see fellow water beings and liquid colors the sunrays create. Passing through changes in the water’s temperature, I’m aware of fluctuating currents. Ridges along a sandy bottom appear as miniature desert dunes.
At certain angles the sun creates a surface of sparkles that mesmerize. Sometimes the water and sky dissolve into one another and, late in the day, I might be able to swim into the ray cast by the setting sun.
I can’t think of any other activity that simultaneously invigorates and relaxes like a good swim can.
I’m Paula Garrett,and that’s my perspective.
