Water: Friend or Foe?

I started competitive swimming when I was 8 years old and have been doing it off and on for the last 25 years. Okay, for a lot of that I wasn't really motivated, much to the chagrin of my sisters/coaches/whoever. Last year I received my certification in scuba diving, which is something I always wanted to do. My father was once really into sailboats and some deep, genetic part of me finds a certain amount of thrill in balancing the forces of wind, wood, and wave.

All that being said, one of my biggest fears in life is drowning. I have nightmares about it. I go into near panic when I see one of my kids struggling at swim lessons. Standing on top of the Eiffel Tower and leaning out as far as I can doesn't provoke the same terror for me as being out in the ocean and thinking about how DEEP the water is.

That Ol' Sinking Feeling

Last night I made the commitment to get up and go swimming this morning. So I did. A Friday probably wasn't the best day to get back in the pool. Fridays are sprint workouts - and today in particular was an I.M. (individual medley, where you do all the strokes) workout. Needless to say, a few months away have not done much for my ability to keep up with my lane mates. Still, it was nice to get back in and take some good-natured jokes from the coach and other swimmers.

The bike ride to work, however, was a killer. Biking and swimming in one day? All I need to do now is find a way to work in some running and I can do a triathalon. For the longest time, I felt the only appropriate way to run was if some large and hungry animal was chasing me. I still feel that way, in principle if for no other reason. I'm just not a runner.

Busy day scheduled today. I ordered some refills for my old Daytimer planner - the one I was given when I was an assistant manager at Hastings. I enjoyed using it, and now with school and work, I have a chance to put it to use again. Organization is a wonderful thing.