My husband and I like to go on a Sunday afternoon to the Max Bell and spend about hour in the pool. We usually do 80-100 laps. It’s great exercise. It’s also something we enjoy together, which is important because with his job, we don’t get a lot of ‘couple time’. (I especially like that it’s one of the few sports that he doesn’t have an advantage in – he’s a extremely fast runner and a strong guy who lifts weights daily. Generally, I’m left in his dust, but in a pool, I can return the favor and leave him in my wake. This is petty, I know, but it’s real nonetheless.) More relevant to this course, lane swim has always (well, ever since I began competitive swimming at nine-years-old) been the most mind-clearing activity I can do. I can lose track of time. I can think deeply, or I can completely zone out and think of nothing. It’s when I’m most mentally relaxed – besides, perhaps, when I’m in a deep sleep.
As I explained in a paper for another course, “on a very interesting level, I have a strong communication with water. I have never felt afraid of water. Family legend holds that the natal nurses used me for bathing demonstrations for all the new moms because I loved the water, unlike most newborns. My mom used to bath me to calm me. As I grew, I was a natural swimmer; when my mom finally put me in lessons, I skipped several levels. I swam competitively, and I trained and worked as a lifeguard for several years, also teaching lessons and coaching swim club. I often dream of water… I’ve always felt at home in water. If I were classified in the archaic elements, I’d be water. [Water itself has become a metaphor] for feeling connected and capable."
The second thing I did this week for the other hour (okay, admittedly I may have gotten carried away and spent a little more time than that) was deciding on and planning for this year’s Halloween costume. Halloween is arguably my favorite holiday season. I have a blast every year decorating my classroom and my house, but my favorite Halloween activity (besides munching those mini chocolate bars) is dressing up. I love doing something creative and creepy. This year, I have a headless ghoul planned.
Some past costumes include…
Vampire (2007)
Hockey Player (2008)
