More swimming as meditation 08/23/2010
 Adams Reservoir, Woodford, VT Water holds a mystical power over me, more today than when I was younger. I swim, I kayak, I soak in a hot tub, I take showers whenever my joints cry to be soothed or my soul needs an energizing boost.  In Vermont, ponds and even pools are cool, almost cold, even on the hottest days. Once you’re in and moving, the crisp temperature is all you could ever ask for, but don’t go in one toe at a time. I have access to outdoor swimming pools and a dozen ponds or reservoirs in two states, so I carry gear in the back seat of the car that lets me swim on a whim. Rubber-soled “lake shoes” keep my feet safe from rocks and muck. If the sun is high, I wear full-length rashers to block UV from my ultra-sensitive skin and wacky immune system. Kids gawk at the sight of an old lady in surfer garb, but I just smile and, on the way out of the water, I comment on how the waves suck at this beach. Sometimes I don’t even swim, but just go out up to my neck, letting let currents pull me from side to side. If I need to build up strength in my severely arthritic lower body, I cross country ski in the deep stuff, or bicycle back and forth across the pool. Then I do side stroke and back stroke, both very meditative forms of swimming.  Green River, Halifax VT, Spring 2010 A doomed Piscean, I’d rather be IN water than not, but if I’m on land, chances are I’m looking at one body of blue stuff or another. Our walls are filled with artwork I’ve collected over the years, most of it involving something aqueous. After all, I spent some years living and working on Long Island, New York, where I wrote a book about life on that (very crowded) Atlantic sandbar. My husband loves boats, so we’re drawn to coasts and marinas when we travel. Up here in the mountains, we can always find streams or lakes to play in or photograph, any time of the year, frozen or liquid.  Lake George NY, August 2009  Monterey Bay CA, May 2010 Here are some photos and video I took in and around the Monterey Bay Aquarium this spring.  Pacifica CA, May 2010  Tuna at MBA, May 2010  Leafy Sea Dragon at MBA  Moon Jellyfish at MBA  Black Sea Nettles at MBA, May 2010 For mesmerizing video of jellyfish and sea nettles, go to the Monterey Bay Aquarium's own video at http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/efc/efc_se/se_jellies_mv_blue.html If you want to swim with the fishes without getting wet, go to the MBA kelp forest exhibit and sway with the water plants and animals to hypnotic music. Try not to go when it’s busy, like we did. Too many people making too much noise, but click on the arrow and enjoy the show anyway. See the shark? For more in this series, click on Swimming as Meditation in the index on the right. Also, see Cari Shane Parvin's Zen of Swim at http://www.usmsswimmer.com/200511/zenofswim.pdf Commentstnlib 08/24/2010 15:13
Lovely - absolutely lovely. Wish I could see it all in person. 08/25/2010 08:02
I LOVE this post! You and I must be sisters. I believe in Mother Ocean and can't pass a body of moving water... Karen 08/27/2010 10:57
The first time I saw a tank like this at the Birch Aquarium in San Diego I was enchanted. Three little kids were too, with their hands and noses pressed to the glass as they followed the big fish across the tank, like a ballet. Unfortunately, I've lost the photo. The new natural history museum in San Francisco has a place where you can stand surrounded by fish! Karen 08/27/2010 10:58
Moonlight Beach, by Karen Holmgren Karen, This was as seductive, as meditative, and as lovely as a deep pond in a quiet wood. Leave a Reply | Blogger Profile
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