Nice jammy macaroons in Hot town, summery in the city - 2017

subtitle: Fish in a Former Life

27.  Favorite simple pleasure?

(Aside: while on long hikes, when we’re nearing the end I find myself walking faster and faster, no matter how tired I am, just because we’ve nearly finished. I’m feeling that way now about NoJoMo! So close!!!)

(Other aside: Referencing the pet entry, it’s 6:30am and I’m propped up in bed typing this while Oreo frantically head buts me in her STROKE ME NOW mode 🤣🤣🤣 it would be easier to stroke her if she relaxed and let me get on with it!!)

Simple pleasures.

So many things. For example, on the route we take to pick up service users in my job we drive into the car park of a block of flats. In the borders of the car park are various plants and bushes. This week I noticed that one has flowered, beautiful fingers covered in tiny yellow flowers so every day I look out for it to see the gorgeous winter flora.

My favourite simple pleasure, however, is swimming. It’s the thing I picture when I’m stressed, when the world is turning a little too quickly and slightly off kilter, I close my eyes and picture myself swimming. The pool I usually picture is the one in the back yard of my home in Florida in 1995. This is it:

As you can see it’s surrounded by trees, the one just below it is a live oak and it had Spanish Moss draped over its boughs. The sun shone down through the branches creating a gorgeous dappled effect on the water which, as it moved, made the light dance on the tiles of the pool. I swam most days.

Since I started my new job I have bought a gym membership in, conveniently, the cheapest gym in our town with a pool and the nearest to home!! It’s about a mile away. I go two or three times a week, depending on work and eldest child; I both swim and use the treadmill for speed sessions. The great thing about the pool is how often I have it to myself. There’s such a luxurious feeling attached to having this space of water all to myself. Being able to swim and play and to feel my body being held up by the water while also cutting a path through it. I’m happiest under the water and love to swim right down at the bottom, skimming the tiles as I go. And if someone else is in the pool, you know for sure that I’m racing them (although if they knew, they might pick up the pace a bit 🤣).

I don’t know what it is about swimming that makes me feel so safe, so at home but I’ll hold on to that feeling every time I step/jump into the water.

Scraping Phil away is also very satisfying.