Regardless of where I’m swimming (okay, maybe not the pool), I always spend at least a little time worrying about something. Am I getting too much sun? Is this water polluted and did I just drink a gallon of it? What creatures are lurking under me? Will there be waves? Are these currents getting stronger? Back home seal encounters top the list of things I worry about while swimming. Here at Lac Louisa, it’s thunderstorms. 

Today I set off for an afternoon swim around the bay. There were a few dark clouds that gave me pause, but also lots of sun and I shot off with confidence, enjoying the refreshing sensation of being in water after a morning of errands.

Soon, though, every time I breathed to my left, I noticed the clouds gathering, the sky darkening, the wind picking up. Are those thunderclouds? I kept asking myself. But, given that I’ve spent approximately 70% of my life in drought conditions, myself didn’t have an answer.

Periodically, I’d stop, tread water, lift my swim cap up over my ear and listen hard.

Finally, I convinced myself that a storm was on its way and turned around and motored home. As it turned out, the storm never came. As with every single seal I’ve ever spotted while swimming, my thunderstorm worries amounted to nothing. It got me swimming faster, though.