In My Element?

I love running, have always loved running, and will, hopefully, continue to always love running. Mostly I run for fitness, occasionally as a challenge, and sometimes to just leave everything behind and wallow in the connection between me and my body.

It was to put the last couple of weeks behind me that I hit the treadmill on Thursday, and though I got into rhythm without much effort, at the end of 5 kilometers, I felt as disenchanted as I did before the run. Hot and sweaty, going home, the blue pool beckoned. It seemed utter foolishness to even think of entering the cold waters with the treacherous monsoon breeze blowing round me, but five minutes later, I was at the edge of the pool, shivering at the thought of diving in. I took a deep breath, leant forward, and before I knew it, I was In!

I felt sure I had forgotten my strokes – after all, I hadn’t gone anywhere near the pool for nearly two months, and had only just learnt to swim before that. I may have been sure I had forgotten how to swim, but my limbs suffered from no such confusion. The hands and legs worked in unison, and I found myself being pulled along. The break seemed to have smoothened my strokes – I was cutting through the water more powerfully than I remembered.

Had it been only a 100 days back that I had my first swimming lesson? The water felt like home. It was all around me, caressing me, washing away the tiredness, filling me with positive energy. Filling my lungs with air, I put my head under water, and glided to the wall – I felt a strange peace that I have felt nowhere but in the pool.

I may have taken to the pool only in my thirty-seventh year, but like all good Cancerians, I am a Water Baby. This Is My Element!