Good for the soul

It's crunch time, a week and a half before I risk my life going across the bay in nothing but a wet suit. Nevermind the 399 other swimmers, my personal kayaker, and coastguard support. And yes, there is a god damned whale somewhere in the bay, just waiting to eat me. The pressure is on to get more comfortable in the open water. We hit up the pond last week and things went ok. Minor panic attack in the beginning but settled in. Not smooth enough that I could call it and stay in the pool, so this morning we headed back out to the pond. We had a newbie with us, who needed some reassurance. Did I complain about pond scum? What about the snapping turtles the size of my table with biting teeth and a taste for toes? Water snakes anyone? Nope. "An open water swim is good for the soul, easiest mile of your life." I lied through my friggin teeth. Misery loves company! So 5:30 rolled around and we quickly found ourselves on the beach. After some minor hesitation we headed off. No panic this time, I might as well embrace it. Soon the sun started to come up over the trees and it truly was beautiful. Peaceful. Newbie swam back and was amazed at how nice it was. She was right. It was quiet. You could get lost in your thoughts, zone out. Struggles with a sick kid faded away; stress about work and sleep deprivation all forgotten. We hit the first dock in no time at all and ventured out for the far buoy. Wrapped things up back on the beach, 1.5 miles in total. A needed dose of peacefulness before hitting the chaos that is my current life. Swam 1.5 miles