![]() I am grateful that the pool is open today, Thanksgiving. I am grateful that there is only one other lap swimmer and that the pool is quiet. I am grateful that the pool water is almost warm. I am grateful that my back feels pretty good today. I am grateful that my goggles don't leak. I am grateful that I finally learned to swim. I am grateful that I persisted despite anxiety and old trauma. I am grateful for Kathy, my good and sensitive teacher. I am grateful for the support of the buoyant water, beneath me. I am grateful for all the air to breathe, above me. I am grateful for the black line on the bottom of the pool, straight, consistent, repetitive little tiles, counting breath, like a mantra. I am grateful for a long reach. I am grateful for a strong pull. I am grateful for flutter kick and hip rotation and high elbow. I am grateful for the sensuous pleasure of the water flowing over my skin, my muscles. I am grateful for the whoosh of water past my ears, the slight tang of chlorine in my mouth. I am grateful to float in stillness, to surrender tension to the water and feel restored. I am grateful that swimming has triumphed over pain. I am grateful, every moment, for what the water has given me. |
AuthorArtist, writer, workshop planner, swimmer, dog-mom, wife...I find inspiration in the serendipitous connections between making a meaningful, beautiful life and making honest art. Archives
August 2018
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All work on this site is original by Diane Santarella Lawrence, unless noted, and is
fully Copyrighted. The nature of social media is sharing, so please share respectfully and responsibly and give credit where credit is due. Many of the beautiful images taken in the studios of Skip and me are by Joel Kiester and Brian Eiseman of 1513Photo. Many thanks, Guys, for your friendship and elegant work! And Thanks to my two biggest fans, my husband Skip Lawrence and Rothko the Wonderdog for constantly surprising, challenging, inspiring and supporting me. |