This morning I did my Lift and Sprint class before my swim. I’ve extolled the virtues of this class here before. I love it. It’s fun (an adjective I rarely use to describe exercise unless it’s swimming) and the time flies by even though I’m working hard.

But there is one part I don’t love: the running. I really don’t like to run. I appreciate that Lift and Sprint forces me to do it so that if I have to chase down a bus or run through an airport before my gate closes, I don’t die. But I really do not enjoy it. Today as I loped my way around the park, I thought about how heavy my body feels when I run. I ache and creak. The meat-suit substance of my body feels like a burden I’m lugging around.

Then I went into the water. What a contrast. It’s as if the water says: Oh dear, that’s a big load you’ve got. Let me hold some of that for you. In the water I’m light and graceful, movement is easy. The water shares the burden of carrying around this body, lightening my load, freeing me up. 

Today was an especially good day for lightness. The waves were rolling and fun. I bobbed and dove, pretended I was a mermaid, I floated and flitted in and out of the waves. I chatted with Gabe, Angie, and Arwen as we meandered our way to the big tree and back again.