As a little girl I adored taking a bath. Holding my breath under the water for as long as I possibly could it was a wonder I didn’t drown. Addicted to the serenity below the surface I would find peace beneath those magical drops that muted the sounds of my older sister bossing me around!
This morning I submerged myself in a much larger body of water and I’ve never felt better! Not because I couldn’t hear my sister (she lives in a different state, her voice is loud…but not that loud) but because for a long time I’ve not been an early riser and today, inspired by our Olympians, I broke the water under night lights, saw garbage trucks come and go through goggle vision (and didn’t smell them – always a bonus) and between three and six hundred metres the darkness disappeared and a new day dawned.
I find swimmers methodically doing laps to be enchanting, every so often exchanging pleasantries when they come up for air. Walking toward the change room a woman smiled at me as if to say she was in on it too. “It” being a love of swimming along with an appreciation for life, opportunities that begin with each sunrise and the simple joy that can be derived from starting the day in this meditative way…
Breathing in and out, in and out, I hear the air expel as bubbles. Thoughts come and go and when my mind is silenced by the repetitive motion all I’m aware of is music. The sound of my hands alternatively cupping the water, my metronome head swaying from side to side, the beat of my kick; the rhythm of all of this working together to propel me forward.
Aside from being a good alternative to actual meditation, for me a swim at day break instills a feeling of strength and power that translates to an attitude that anything is possible…and our Olympians are already proving that in the pool!
It’s wonderful (and funny) reminiscing about my days as an Australian swimming WAG and what it meant to my then boyfriend to win gold for his country in the 4 x 100m freestyle relay. Sharing these triumphant moments with our Rio Olympians is an honour having seen first hand the hard work and dedication it takes to achieve at this level and how much it means to them after so much sacrifice.
In my youth I had the pleasure of spending mornings in the lane alongside some of our greats, sharing chit chat in spas with these adonises during recovery sessions at the AIS (tough gig!) and seeing them grasp glory inside many an aquatic centre. Swimming has stayed close to my heart and is an activity I always return to to revitalise both body and mind.
To be watching as our current generation of swimmers go for gold is simply awesome. Best of luck to each and every one of them and thank you to the entire team for doing a top job representing our country! #goaustralia
