“Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air.” – Emerson
When I was a child, my mother insisted that we learn to swim. It was mostly for safety – one of those “on account-a you never know” things. But I really took to it. We didn’t live anywhere near the ocean, and lakes were for fishing, but I spent a large percentage of the summer in the swimming pool.
I love the water. In the water, I feel graceful. In fact, the water is the only place I feel graceful. Once I’m in the water, I feel beautiful.
It’s the whole getting-to-the-water thing that isn’t my favorite. Being that exposed in public is not something that I enjoy.
I am sure it has a little to do with my weight. When I was swimming (and dancing…and running…), I was smaller, and it was easy to find a swimsuit that didn’t look terrible on me. But even then, I would dash to the side of the pool, still in my t-shirt or with my towel wrapped around me, and then shed it seconds before I dove in.
I was just in a hurry to get to the place where I felt pretty, and I didn’t want any unnecessary, preliminary attention to mar the experience.
The water was freedom.
I swam all through high school. If my school had had a swim team, I would have wanted to be on it and might have been interested in something athletic beyond junior high track. I trained to be lifeguard but never passed the timed test. I probably could have passed it once they took the timed test out of it, but if I were drowning, I’d want to know that the person charged with rescuing me could get their ass there in a hurry, so I declined the offer to retake it.
I haven’t been in a pool in a few years. I’m not even sure that my swimsuit fits now.
It might be time to remedy that.
I’m writing about personal beauty for 31 days.
M. Suzanne Terry 
you do need to remedy that. I am the same. Water is my place. You will feel so good 🙂
I really do need to remedy it. I am looking forward to it!
In a hurry to get to the place where I felt pretty… Yup, yup, yup! Took me down my own memory lane! 😉 here’s to owning all our beauty because we are beautiful!
It’s true. I can’t wait to get my new suit and make a splash. 🙂
Yes!!!!
Suzanne, just wanted to let you know how much I enjoy reading your blogs. This one is so true for many of us!
You are a very creative writer. Keep it up! Janis
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Thank you so much, Janis! I’m glad you’re enjoying it. Thanks for reading!
I too, have felt this connection with the water – when I was big and when I was thin an all the in between sizes I’ve been. We are more graceful in the water, more fluid, more connected with that element that makes up most of our bodies, that we lived in during our earliest memories, when we were in our mother’s wombs. I wonder that everyone doesn’t feel this, from fear or whatever. Being in the water makes me feel alive…as does being among the trees but more refreshed. My favorite thing about a pool is watching the wavy lines of the sun dancing on the bottom of the pool. I forget about myself and how I look. I could go on and on about this element…thanks for the opportunity.
Go find your water!
I love the light reflected in the water. No matter how stressed out I am, seeing that calms me immediately. Thank you for your words, JoAnne!