1 loop (2 mini loops)
cedar lake open swim
30 minutes
80 degrees
The final cedar lake open swim of the season. A beautiful night! Calm water, not too crowded. Since I’m still dealing with congestion, I decided to be cautious and only swim 2 loops. When I was done, I stayed in the water for a few minutes, first squatting, then floating, using my buoy as a pillow.
As I walked to the beach, I recited MO’s poem in my head. I thought again about her wording — it is TIME NOW and it will be TIME AGAIN. Among other things, this wording makes it easier for me to remember the poem. I tried to go deeper and quieter in the water, but I was worried about whether or not the water would make me more congested, so it was hard.
10 Things
- overheard — 2 swimmers talking, one had already finished, the other about to start — the one starting: I’m a teacher and tonight is my last chance to chill out before the craziness of the year
- a blue sky with streaks of clouds
- pale, yellow vines reaching up from way below
- bubbles, 1 — the ones my hand made as they pierced the water
- bubbles, 2 — in front of me — a warning that I was about the run into another swimmer — much smaller and lower in the water than the ones my hands make
- the buoy at hidden beach was almost on the beach — so close to shore!
- last year, some of the trees on the edge of the lake looked like they were changing colors, but not this year — everything is still green
- nearing the beach before the swim, a little girl to her dad: Daddy, can you see the moon? The moon the moon the moon is here! Can you see it, Daddy — the moon?
- floating in the water, hearing another swimmer coming in from a loop, breathing heavily
- an almost empty beach
Another great season. I feel strong and satisfied — although, like always, I wish I could swim every day of the year. I also feel deep gratitude for open swim — that it exists, that I can participate in it, that the water is still (mostly) clean enough for open swim to happen at all.