Healing Waters
"Do you swim?"
The neurologist's question caught me off guard. Unexplained
back pain plus a strange tingling sensation in my right foot, brought
me to our family doctor, then alarmingly, to this specialist.
"Well, no. I mean, I can swim, but it has been years."
"It really is the best thing for your back."
Stalling, I opted for on-land physical therapy sessions, which
of course did little to alleviate the numbness in my toes. Who knew
that a herniated back disc could affect the feet?
"You really should try swimming," the therapist reiterates.
"It can do wonders for injuries like yours."
* * *
Flip-flops squeaking against the wet tile floor, towel in one
arm, goggles perched upon my head, I scan the pool deck for a free
lap lane.
Looking down at my faded Lands' End suit, the one with the
little white elastic pieces sticking out of the inseam, I feel
everyone's eyes upon me.
A thirty-something mom, my exercise regime involves breathless
morning sprints to the bus stop. But competition-style lap swimming?
I think not.
Sure, I know how to swim, but splashing around with my kids on a
sultry summer afternoon is just not the same as this -- a 9am plunge
into freezing water on a sub-zero February morning.
So here I stand poolside, a deer in the headlights, wanting to
flee, yet paralyzed by the imagined stares of the other "real"
swimmers.
Again I am a shy grade schooler, always picked last for the
kickball team. Her report card is excellent as always, but there is
just one unsatisfactory mark -- physical education. Again, I am an
awkward teenager, hitting the volleyball into, rather than over, the
net. Again, I am an aspiring teenaged figure skater, full of grace,
but lacking the technique needed for any real success.
Just Do It! The cliched Nike slogan pops into my foggy brain,
pushed there perhaps by some gentle prodding from a fellow swimmer,
stopping mid-workout to smile my way.
"You are welcome to share this lane with me. The pool is
awfully crowded this time of day."
Just like that, I find myself muttering thanks and sliding into
the surprisingly warm water. I am off, pushing forward into a
modified breaststroke (adapted by me, so I don't actually have to put
my eyes under water.)
Red, blue, yellow and green triangles hang from a banner high
overhead, signaling my arrival at the three-fourths lane mark. My
fingertips hit cold concrete -- a tangible reward for completing an
entire lap.
Out of breath, yet exhilarated, I continue this back-and-forth
path. I shock myself by completing ten laps, on this, my first day
as a swimmer. Tired, yet invigorated, I am bursting with
accomplishment.
"I am going to do twenty laps on Thursday!" I boast to my
husband over lunch later that day. "I think I will try a few strokes
of front crawl, too."
What started as therapy for my back quickly turned into a
workout that I actually enjoyed. Tuesday and Thursday mornings
become my time. With my youngest daughter in preschool, I find
myself looking forward to peaceful morning swims.
Gradually, I begin to complete greater distances. Ten laps
become twenty, and remarkably, even thirty. Splashing forward, I am
surprised to feel so free. My spirit soars with each stroke. Who
cares if my form isn't the model of Olympian perfection? In the
water I am powerful and strong.
Adjusting my goggles, I dive beneath the surface. Insecurities
are washed away as I set and reach new goals, like actually swimming
under water!
Refreshed after each swim, I spend my afternoons
enthusiastically rolling out sticky pink play dough and playing
countless games of Candyland with my girls. Bubble wand in one hand,
sidewalk chalk in the other, I laugh more and worry less. I lost a
few unwanted pounds and feel healthier and happier both inside and
out.
Long after my back pain subsided, swimming continues to be the
balm that heals both my body and soul. In the water, I am a
confident athlete, a woman of strength.
And someday, someday very soon, I will master that impossible flip turn.
~ Stefanie Wass ~
<swass @ adelphia.net>
Stefanie lives in Hudson, Ohio, with her husband and two girls. She
is a member of the International Women's Writers Guild. Her essay
"Legacy Of Love" will be published in Chicken Soup For The New Mom's
Soul this April. Her writing will also appear in Chicken Soup For
The Beach Lover's Soul, due in bookstores this May.
[ By: Stefanie Wass, Copyright © 2007 (swass @ adelphia.net) -- {used with permission} ]
Inspirational Stories
SkyWriting.Net
All Rights Reserved.
|