“The water doesn’t know how old you are.”
– Dara Torres
Every morning, I swim laps at the local twenty- five metre pool and I had a disrupted sleep last night so I only swam forty laps instead of my normal sixty laps. Sixty laps takes about three hours for me as I sort of do a basic mixture of dog paddle and breast stroke.
Half of the mission is getting there and home and mostly I get NDIS funded community transport but other times I get the early 7.15 bus and walk ten minutes from the bus stop before hitting the pool.
Before I swim, I grab a banana if they have one and a large latte at the pools cafe and put it at the end of the pool and take sips to keep me going every two laps.
As well as the great exercise and meditative mind set it creates it’s also a fantastic social outlet with regulars of all ages including Clayton the manager and Kendall his partner and Francis that I call Saint Francis and Chris the guard and Wenda an amazing great grandmother.
Mum taught me not to play favourites but I have a soft spot for Wenda as she is so kind wise and funny.
Most mornings Wenda encourages me with my swimming saying “keep going Luke keep going” and it urges me on and makes me smile a lot.
I love it when great-great grandmothers literally and metaphorically encourage me.
After the swim I go grocery shopping at woollies and get a coffee at my favourite cafe and wait for community transport and often like today I call the transport in early and they pick me up early if they can.
Today I am writing this essay in the notes section of my IPhone while I sip on a decaf latte at the cafe.
In reference to Francis who swims every morning and I jokingly call Saint Francis who also teaches all ages swimming I shall include a quote by my favourite male Saint; Saint Francis.
“A single sunbeam is enough to drive away many shadows.”
Saint Francis of Assisi
I like this quote and it’s very fitting today as Spring has just begun and the sun is shining and Saint Francis memory is driving away my emotional shadows and the literal sun is beaming making everyone smile.
