Morning Swim...

I really love this time of year. It affords longer days, relaxing nights, and one of my favorite ways to start the day.

When I go out to the pool in the early dawn, part of me questions if I am half out of my mind. There is an ever-so-slight chill still clinging to the air, tricking me into believing the pool is warmer than it probably is.

I descend the steps with my arms hugged around me tight, as if this is going to ward off the coolness. As I forge deeper into the water, the longing for a hot shower nearly pulls me back. But I go on...and I am soon rewarded.

As I sink into the water, I am embraced in weightless glory as my body adjusts to the temperature. As I glide across the surface, I feel muscles come alive as my lungs threaten to burst. But they don't. Reaching the deep end, I flip over and push off from the wall. Held just below the surface, I stare up at the morning sky as the sun awakes from its slumber, painting the sky in watercolors. Overwhelmed by such magnificence, I give thanks for the day, for the season, for my life.

Reaching the shallow end I flip over again, picking up speed as the water surges over my ears and down my body. Sleep has been eradicated from my system; after a few more laps I am ready to take on the day.

Finally, I float. I float and feel the water caress every part of me as I gently rock, my body suspended in the water. My mind goes blank as I just...be. And it is glorious.

When I make my way back to the steps, I smile. How could I have ever entertained thoughts of forgoing such bliss? Reveling in my secret of time well spent, I return to the house to awake my family to the day.