Dec 21: Body Delights

When did you feel most alive, connected, or exuberant in your body this past year? What did you feel, see, hear, smell, or taste in that moment? Delighting in our bodies can help us embody our true, whole, and beautifully imperfect selves.

Prompt contributed by Sarah Garvis at Rebecca's beautiful blog, Relish Life.

Source: masikawa.tumblr.com via etito on Pinterest

I stood at the edge of the pool looking down to the other end of the lane. The water was still, clear. With my hair tied up in a bun on top of my head and my goggles in place, I penciled into the pool. Feet first, straight down. Instantly submerged, enveloped in mute, bubbles rushed from every part of my body making their way to the surface. I followed. With my head tilted back, emerging from the water, I sucked in the air. My right arm leading the way, I pushed off the wall and began.

I spent a lot of time swimming lengths this summer. At first to train for our Try-A-Tri and then to exercise while beating the summer's heat, but what kept bringing me back to the water was the feeling I got once I was in. Everything disappeared but myself, my thoughts and the water. Once the surrounding noises were gone, with each stroke I became more in tune with my thoughts. I'd try to focus on the number of lengths I was doing or how my stroke changed if I altered the way my hand entered the water, but ultimately my mind would wonder. I'd try to focus my but it never worked for long. I learned, in the pool, to let my mind go where it needed to. I learned to listen to my thoughts even if I didn't want to be thinking them, I unravelled and deconstructed.

I am grateful for my summer spent in the pool. With each stroke propelling me, I was able to process my unwanted thoughts, let them float away, while carrying the good ones forward.