I love the water. I was a competitive swimmer for about seven years. I spent many long summer hours in the backyard pool with my siblings, playing "Silent Marco Polo." (Basically, calling out "Marco!" and answering "Polo!" made things too easy in a small pool, so we just hunted and caught each other listening to the sounds of the water moving.)
Swimming is my athletic saving grace. I have lame-o monocular vision, so trying to catch and hit spherical objects is tough, y'all. Also, running...nope. I get all burning in the throat and lungs and it's not pretty. Yes, I do get that feeling as well while swimming laps, but I dunno. In the water, it just doesn't feel like I'm going to collapse and die afterward. And as soon as they invent something as super fun as swim fins for running, then maybe I'll try it out.
Besides, water reacts in a much more entertaining way while I'm expending energy. The splashing! That fun dum-dum-dum that your feet make while kicking. The plip-plop. The splish-splash. Lovely! I spent a fantastic evening this summer after a walk, lying on the deck of the pool in my apartment complex with my feet dangling in the water and staring up at the sky. I think I entertained myself for at least an hour making splashy noises in the water. Ah.
Swimming makes me feel powerful. Swimming makes me feel graceful (something I did not start to achieve on land until I took fencing). Swimming makes me feel peaceful. It's so nice and quiet down there, where I can just focus on breathing, and stretching and making that flip turn as smooth as possible.
If you need me, I'll be at the bottom of the diving well. At least until I have to come up for air.
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