Jumping In!

Actually, climbing in...very slowly (it is only 4 feet deep, after all).

I must admit, besides spending much of last week doing all too much thinking about fears and worst-case-scenarios and torturing myself and everyone who dared cross my path, I also wondered why I ever started this little blog in the first place. I wished I hadn't. I am feeling much more optimistic now, especially since I started swimming.

Rather than dwell on possibilities which likely (if I have any say) won't come to fruition, these days I'm more occupied with noticing the copious gym perks seemingly meant exclusively for swimmers. How had I not realized that all this time, I have been being treated as a second class citizen to the swimming elite? I'll start with the steam room. Who in their right mind would sit in a 105 degree room after a non-aquatic aerobic workout? Also, there's the issue of the showers. The shower room is directly connected to the pool area, so as to facilitate swimmers' access. Anyone coming from elsewhere in the gym must peel off and deposit their workout gear in a locker, then traverse the entire locker room clad in a towel to potentially wait for a shower to become free--not the worst fate but obviously not acceptable to swimmers, who have first dibs on hopping in. Did I mention the bathing suit dryer thinga-miggiger? Yup, you read right. But, whadda you know? No regular washer/dryer to be found.

Then there's the pool itself, quiet and peaceful and well-maintained--without the pumped-in music that permeates through the rest of the gym. Though only four lanes, it's plenty large to cater to the gym's small swimming population. So far, I've only had to share my lane once (then, the serious swimmer there before I arrived switched to a newly unoccupied lane of her own). Unlike the rules that apply to treadmills, ellipticals and the like, there's no limit to the amount of time one can occupy a swimming lane during peak hours.

You can imagine that to a newbie like me, these newly-discovered benefits are especially exciting. All in all, an auspicious start to my new activity.