Going for a Swim

So I swim twice a week, Tuesday and Thursday. I do it for the exercise; I feel stronger and burn down the calories throughout the day.

The swimming instructor pushes us to do a little bit more. An extra stroke here, move the legs faster there, take a second faster to exhale and inhale. On Thursday morning at 6:23am, I did double the laps on a single session. I wore flippers for a second time and they certainly gave me that extra speed.

I needed everything those flippers gave.

With each lap, I felt the muscles burning in a unique way when they’re in the water. I was gasping for air. I felt like I was going to drown. I had to let other swimmers pass by me to recover for a bit. But when the session was done, I felt the second wind come back quickly like a splash of water hitting my back.

The So-far Unsolvable Butterfly

When the swimming instructor got me to dive down close to the floor of the swimming pool, I found hints of how to approach the elusive butterfly stroke.

For weeks, I was more like a buoy than a butterfly. My inability to make a wave with my body prevented me from moving forward. And my butt… well…

The instructor kept emphasizing on the diving down headfirst to create this wave; the body will naturally come up. Then I make the butterfly stroke and dive down again.

Wave.

The flippers got me to close to scraping distance with the pool floor. But man was I moving with the flippers! When I reached the surface, I was already three-quarters across.

I began to understand what this butterfly stroke could be about. I’m not quite there, but I will get it in time.

Doing a Little More

Everything in this universe must grow or die. Whether that growth is a milestone or a micron, a step forward is a step forward.

We must remind ourselves to come to the plate and take a swing at the baseball. We must push for progress. Being ripe is good for eating and nothing else.

Stay green and grow in all facets of your life. Okie dokie?