I got into the wrong line when they handed out sports-performance skills at birth. I tried team sports but I was never very good at them. I never got asked to be part of a team except in cases where a football or cricket team happened to be short one player. I just didn’t seem to have what it takes to keep up with the other guys even though I was reasonably fit. That’s why I’m not a sports enthusiast today. I don’t watch sports on TV.
Something happened when I was about twelve. I was at my local indoor swimming pool one quiet afternoon when the only other persons there, apart from myself, were four older “bullies” from my school. They decided to have some fun with me. They held me down on the floor while they tied my hands and feet together with rope and threw me into the deep end even though I'd told them repeatedly that I couldn’t swim. We didn’t have lifeguards in those days. Then, they stood by the pool to watch me cough and splutter and beg for help. But, I disappointed them. I didn't do that.
Something else happened that surprised both them and me. I realized that I wasn’t scared at all, and if I continued to breath normally while moving my hands and feet in an arcing motion, my head would remain above water. I also knew that I was able to sustain this buoyancy for a long time since it didn’t require much effort. Eventually, the older boys just left the pool when they saw that I wasn’t going to provide them with any amusement. A short time later, an older man came along. He helped me get out of the pool and he untied me. At that time, I never suspected that that episode was the beginning of my life-time love affair with swimming.
I began to swim regularly. Even though I never took lessons, the important things seemed to come naturally. For example, I learned that the key to relaxed long distance swimming was not your strength; not your strokes; not your style; nor even your breathing – it was the development of rhythm. Once your rhythm is perfected, you can cruise forever, automatically, without effort, while your mind takes a relaxing holiday in North Wales.
When I need some piece and quiet; or if I need to think something through without any distractions; or if I’m stressed-out, I go to the pool. I can establish a rhythm that allows me to become a part of the medium in which I am immersed, both physically and mentally. When I’m fully relaxed, it's as if my mind becomes detached from my body while it does its own magic. ...What harmony! …What symmetry! …What freedom!
The health benefits of swimming are well-known and boundless. Sometimes, I think back and thank those boys for introducing me to the art of swimming, even though that wasn’t their intent at the time. To say that swimming is my favourite sport is an understatement. Now, I need to swim - just as I need to sleep - just as I need to breathe - and I love it !
Something happened when I was about twelve. I was at my local indoor swimming pool one quiet afternoon when the only other persons there, apart from myself, were four older “bullies” from my school. They decided to have some fun with me. They held me down on the floor while they tied my hands and feet together with rope and threw me into the deep end even though I'd told them repeatedly that I couldn’t swim. We didn’t have lifeguards in those days. Then, they stood by the pool to watch me cough and splutter and beg for help. But, I disappointed them. I didn't do that.
Something else happened that surprised both them and me. I realized that I wasn’t scared at all, and if I continued to breath normally while moving my hands and feet in an arcing motion, my head would remain above water. I also knew that I was able to sustain this buoyancy for a long time since it didn’t require much effort. Eventually, the older boys just left the pool when they saw that I wasn’t going to provide them with any amusement. A short time later, an older man came along. He helped me get out of the pool and he untied me. At that time, I never suspected that that episode was the beginning of my life-time love affair with swimming.
I began to swim regularly. Even though I never took lessons, the important things seemed to come naturally. For example, I learned that the key to relaxed long distance swimming was not your strength; not your strokes; not your style; nor even your breathing – it was the development of rhythm. Once your rhythm is perfected, you can cruise forever, automatically, without effort, while your mind takes a relaxing holiday in North Wales.
When I need some piece and quiet; or if I need to think something through without any distractions; or if I’m stressed-out, I go to the pool. I can establish a rhythm that allows me to become a part of the medium in which I am immersed, both physically and mentally. When I’m fully relaxed, it's as if my mind becomes detached from my body while it does its own magic. ...What harmony! …What symmetry! …What freedom!
The health benefits of swimming are well-known and boundless. Sometimes, I think back and thank those boys for introducing me to the art of swimming, even though that wasn’t their intent at the time. To say that swimming is my favourite sport is an understatement. Now, I need to swim - just as I need to sleep - just as I need to breathe - and I love it !
Originally Written April 17, 2007
1 comment:
Sounds like the way you got me swimming except without the rope. I still haven't got the swimming rhythm but now that I know to look for it I'll try.
Post a Comment