Tuesday, August 09, 2005

Gone Fishing
It is starting to make sense, the instruction from the swimming manual to be "fish-like" in the water. Long and fluid. Sleek. Knifing through the water. OK, I'm the clumsiest, klutziest fish in the pond, but I'm starting to feel it. Three and a half years after taking up swimming, thousands and thousands of torturous laps later, I'm starting to feel it. And the confirmation is on the clock, where I see myself clicking off an endless string of 55-second 50s without tiring a bit. Slow as that is, it's faster and easier and clearly more efficient than before. What to explain this transformation? Lots of swimming. Three or four days a week in the pool all summer, then six days last week and already three days this week. Plus, as I mentioned, those three-plus years. You live in the water, you get fish-like. A little bit, at least.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think it's also about not fighting the water, but feeling the water, being one with the water. Zen and the Art of Swim, if you will. I find this is the way in all things. I also find it difficult to find my way to the way and then when I'm there not get in the way of the way. By, for example, over explaining something.

Pete said...

Exactly. Hell, ask a fish how he swims so well and dollars to donuts he'll give you an utterly blank look.