never regretted a swim
My mom commented earlier this summer how she has never regretted a swim. She may have regretted saying that if she knew those were the words replaying in my head when I jumped in a lake last month during a thunderstorm. I remember thinking right before I hit the water well if I get electrocuted, I may regret this one mom. But if it was my time to go (thankfully it wasn’t)… what a way to go out… surrounded by the alps in the most blue water I have ever seen, with my favorite Dutch.
I am somehow more comfortable in water than on land most days. I think I have jumped in more bodies of water this summer than weeks I have been home in California. The thing about water is it has this calming yet powerful energy. It can be soothing but at the same time has the capability to kill you. I learned through whitewater rafting there has to be a mutual respect between you and the water. It’s an environment that is not always forgiving. But when done correctly, water is the best version of a playground.
I spent the last week in Austin, TX. A place where everyday in the summer you need to partake in a water activity just to simply survive the heat. There is a natural spring pool in Austin called Barton Springs. It might be in my top 5 places on Earth, partly based on the memories connected to it. My mom’s side of the fam lives in Austin so I grew up going there often. Many cousin diving board competitions have taken place there. We go all year round, rain or shine, dawn to dusk. The temp of the water is always a constant 68 degrees. It’s refreshing in the summer and causes your body to go into borderline shock in the winter. We have one rule when it comes to this sacred place. You cannot take the steps for a gradual entrance. You have to jump in and go fully under. Which is now my rule for any body of water. You have to be fully submerged or it doesn’t count.
I made my friend Greg abide to this self made rule while at Lake Tahoe this weekend… turns out him and the police were apparently not fans of it.
Although you can dive under for it to count as being fully submerged. I wanted to venture out to where my feet could no longer touch. Although Lake Tahoe is the second deepest lake in the US, depending on what beach you are at it can be shallow for a while. So we swam out until it was at least 5 ft 8 in deep. It was basically the same situation of when Nemo wanted to “touch the butt” but instead of us being taken by fishermen after venturing out too far. We were flagged down and reprimanded through a microphone loud enough for everyone on the shoreline to hear that we were in fact no longer in a designated swimming area.
Yet I still agree with my mom. I have never regretted a swim… even if I got publicly shamed for it… even if I had already gone to Barton Springs twice that day… or if it was in whitewater after my boat flipped… because if I’m in water that is enough for me. It’s the same attitude when I am home and water ski. If I go out on the lake in the morning and it’s super choppy. I’m still happy with the time I spent skiing because I was content to just be in water. Spending my morning in the lake was enough. Skiing on glass would be a plus but not the baseline of my joy.
Doesn’t matter if I don’t have a towel… if I will then have to sit in wet clothes on the car ride home… if I have to rewash my hair… I will jump in. It’s always worth the “hassle” associated with water activities. I’m thankful for this summer full of water. It has kept me sane. A body of water can make me snap out of any funk or mood. So if I am ever a brat, just drive me to a lake, ocean, or creek and I’ll be back to myself once I jump in. If I’m being an asshole and we find ourselves in a desert with no element of natural water. Best of luck to you.
just keep on swimming 🐠,
E