The Inner Fish Released

The water is crystal blue and quite inviting as the sun shines down upon it. The thermometer says it's only 70 degress Fahrenheit but I can't stand it.

Saturday afternoon by 2 pm I was suited up and in the backyard. E had so graciously blown up my new float earlier so I was ready to go. I slowly made my way down the steps until I was standing in the shallow end then I climbed onto the float and went to heaven. :-) Since it was way too cold to try to swim in, I was content with just floating around in the current for the rest of the afternoon.

This afternoon I waited until 4 pm and was rewarded with water that was one degree warmer than yesterday's. But again my inner fish won out and I spent over an hour just floating in the current, listening to the sounds of the birds and squirrels and the occasional barking of Sophie and Sneauball.

I've always known that I had an inner fish. I swam every chance I got as a child. For several years my dad belonged to the YMBC in his hometown so we spent weekend afternoons swimming in the club pool. Those were the best days. I took swimming lessons every year and even became a lifeguard. I worked at the local pool one summer and really enjoyed it. As I grew older I sort of ran out of places to swim. For a while I went with K and her family once or twice a summer to a condo they rented in Galveston, TX. Not a fan of sand, I would forego the beach for the crystal clear water of the pool. I always headed out calling back to those left in the condo to call me for dinner as I planned to be in the pool until then. :-)

It has always been a dream of mine to own a pool. Now that I'm older and have screwed up knees, swimming is the best exercise I can provide for them. I never expected that we'd find a house with a pool in our price range but here we are.

Today's word at www.gratefulness.org is

"Gratitude is the most exquisite form of courtesy."
Jacques Maritain



As I drifted around that pool I kept saying over and over in my head, "Thank you for this pool, for this crystal clear water, for the sunshine, for letting me be completely relaxed for the first time in several months, for the sound of the birds and squirrels, for the breeze, and for our home and our family." My inner fish has found a home.