Tag Archives: swimming

Peace and Kindness

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I’m working hard at my swimming. Part of it is that it’s the only exercise I really enjoy, so i can work at being/staying in shape. Part of it is that it’s such a pleasure for me. It changes my mood and takes me completely away from whatever I’m poking at with my mind. I don’t think about anything but my pull or my kick and my breath. It’s pretty great!

And I get in my little Taurus rut… we do like routine, we Taureans. So, must swim now, becomes part of the track in my head. Which is great. Because aside from swimming, I’d rather read a book!

But once I start swimming I get a bit fixated on the goal.

Yesterday, oh, so early in the morning, I was hustling to get to the early swim and I encountered an old friend who needed to talk. I took a deep breath and let it out and just talked with him. It had been an age since I saw him, and a lot was happening in his life. It was time to catch up.

But swimming, I thought. A friend, I reminded myself. And we had a delightful chat. I only had 20 minutes to swim. That was fine. I also had 20 minutes of being a friend. Fewer meters, more friendship. Our hearts get exercised in so many ways. I love that this beautiful web reminded me of the connections that are important to make. Kindness and caring matters. They bring us Peace. They offer it to others. Peace be with us all.

everydaypeacetuesday43oct25

 

Getting on a Peace Boat

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The refugees that cram on boats on their way from Syria to Lesbos take their lives and their family’s lives in their hands. We really need to consider how awful it must be to take your tiny children and pray your way across deep water.

On this particular boat there were good reasons for prayer. the boat sprang a leak. Only a half an hour from land, but still a half hour. As if these refugees weren’t already frightened enough by what they had left and what was ahead of them.

In all probability they all would have drowned if the Mardini sisters had not been in the boat and been brave and resourceful. They got on the Peace Boat and they brought it in to shore. Amazing young women.

Here’s wishing Yusra the best as she competes in the Olympics. Here’s wishing that all of us might participate in Peace.

EverydayPeaceFriday32Aug5

Day by Day Peace

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So long to my summer idyll. Didn’t get as much swimming in as I often do, since I was in CA… But every time was sweet.

Closing pools always leave me wistful. it’s not that I mind the advent of Autumn (although I still hold that TWO weeks before labor day is too early to close the pool)… it’s that I love the being suspended in a body of water outside. And a town pool at the close of a year is often fairly quiet. (For some reason, some people get tired of the pool. Go figure!)

Last night, I found myself frantically googling “Lakes close to Lewisburg,” thinking, it can’t be over, it can’t!

But it is. So, time to join an indoor pool that’s big enough I can actually get those laps in so I’m strong enough (for life and) getting my Lifeguarding Badge! Time to figure out some plans for next summer’s indulgence.

And oh, right, get back to work.

But oh, the sweetness of the town Pool and Summer. Luckily, its Peace will come again next year.

FruitMoonLunacyAug24

 

Reading Peace

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All through the summer, when I was a girl, from about junior high on, I would walk to the library at least once a week and check out about 10 books. Two summers I undertook to just read through the fiction and so I was reading epic Russian sagas at the same time I was reading British spy mysteries. It was fun. Although I have to admit that at the speed I was gulping books I may have missed some of the finer points! But nothing gave me more joy. Swim. Read. Swim. Read. All Summer long.

During the work year, while I may get one or two substantive books read, I pretty much stick to fluffier reading. I read mostly to stop thinking rather than to think. ahhhhh. a chance to unwind.

But now during the summer, one of the requirements/privileges of my job is to prepare for the coming year.

This is made so much sweeter by the fact that this year, no one is sick, no one is dying and I’m not recovering from a death in the family. I am so grateful.

So this year, I get to stuff and stuff and stuff and stuff.

And it’s grand. I have no idea how things will all come together or even if they should, but I’m grateful for the opportunity.

Books have always offered me Peace, even as they’ve stirred and excited me.

Hurrah!

GardenMoonLunacyJul28

Ah, The Peace of the First Swim!

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At last! I finally got it together to get to the pool and buy my membership. It’s cheeeeep when you’re over 55. Set up my locker. Settled in for the long haul! Sooooo happy.

And the water was delicious. It’s a great pool. It was about 6:30 and there were lots of parents there with their toddlers for a postprandial swim to get them tired out for bed.

Only sore point? The music. It has a great beat for water zumba which is mostly what i was doing, but the language was all about sex and oooh pretty explicit… and also demeaning of women. So I’ll have to pull on my curmudgeon outfit and talk to the very young staff about why a) babies don’t need to listen to any of that shit and b) it’s really sort of anti-feminist if you listen to it, and that they might not want to give those messages either… gagh.

But really, it was heavenly… There is nothing sweeter for me. There are so many memories. love, love, love it. Peace of a whole summer’s swimming to you. But oh, i’ll miss my swimming buddies…

BerryMoonLunacyJun11