swimming

something about swimming that grows up a boy.

you jump into the unknown.
water rushes into your lungs, you feel like dying.
a hand reaches out to hold you, you grab onto it for life's sake.
you feel the confirmation, the comfort, the strong firmness.. you feel safe.

dad, thanks for teaching me how to swim when i was a kid.
and even at this age, still bringing me to the pool in KJ.

as i grow older, i realize that there's so much more to wadding in the pool like a struggling animal
the freestyle, the hydro-dynamics, the stroke... efficiency in each small movement.
you feel it more in water, with the resistance of the more heavily denser liquid
then running on land with just wind resistance (unless you ride a bike)

the alternate 3 and 5 stroke per breath,
compared to the basic single sided right breath per 2 strokes.

the slithering of the body like a serpent.. or mermaid,
and the splashing arms of the butterfly

the gliding and alternate stroke of the frog,
compared to the symmetrical leg push arm pull...
the breaths, of once per stroke or 2 exhales underwater before taking a deep one in at the surface.

or even diving.

there's something about swimming, that gives time to one to think
from the moment you strip down to bear trunks,
standing under the shower that keeps the pool crystal clear,
hot water heated up by the sun gushes out first,
and then the cold part from the underground pipes...

all the way to finished a 20 volley with dad,
sitting at the edge of the pool, chatting.. like old men.
life stories seem to come out easier after exhaustion.

there's something about swimming, that i want to pass on to my kid one day