just keep swimming

For much of 2015 my view was a watery black line as I trundled up and down a pool.

Mostly this pool.

And sometimes the 25m pool at school where I joined the intermediate squad and swam with the 12 year olds.  By the end of the season they had accepted me into their pool posse and we had squad jokes.  Trendy young things in hipster bars talk about their 'squad' - I had a proper swimming squad with flicking of caps and perishing goggles and groans about butterfly laps.

Swimming was my exercise of choice in 2015.  I find it such a rhythmic calming activity, no screens to look at, time inside my head (which can be a dangerous place), time to pray.  I swam in lots of 200m.  Kicking down the kilometres.

Sometimes at the pool there were elite swimmers churning up and down - so fast and sleek.  Like skinned seals.  That should be the name of their squad - Skinned Seals.  Maybe not....

Swimming has got me massive trapezoid and deltoid shoulder muscles, a back swimming tan, very chlorine damaged hair and much lighter body mass.  Thanks swimming.

Swimming has helped my mental health and calmness in 2015 - I get agitated without pool time now.  Thanks swimming.

I plan to continue.  Until I can swim out of my current swimmers into a smaller pair.  And then swim some more.