I often have my best ideas in the swimming pool far from pen, paper
or computer. Gazing through a skylight seeing tall buildings slowly
move through 30 panes of glass lends a cinematic effect as I swim by
watching the clouds groove to music. The ideas most often come in
the form of what I should or shouldn’t have done and how I should or
shouldn’t do it.
Waterlogged epiphanies if you will.
I never feel better than after my post swim whirlpool which is the best
I feel until the next time (usually Monday, Wednesday and Friday). I never leave feeling worse. Ever. Why I’m still going strong 10 years
after a back injury and my loving wife’s suggestion led me to the pool
to ease my pain. The moment my 3mm L3 disk bulge was submerged
relief was had and it was as simple as walking into a pool.
Swimming a mile is boring. Counting laps doesn’t do it for me as I always lose track. If it wasn’t for my wife and my waterproof MP3, so much would never be considered and would remain lost in my thoughts. But dancing through the water swimming to Mingus or
Barry White or Jimmy Scott or Leonard Cohen… or any of the 100’s of artists that inhabit my shuffling Finis Duo (with bone conductivity instead of earplugs)- my canciones de la aqua sets the tone for implementing things that wouldn’t occur to me otherwise.
The possible book covers I’ve been considering take on more clarity in my underwater realm. So do questions needed for an upcoming zoom call on how to utilize Linkedin more effectively in marketing my book. Then there was the realization that properly reviewing the formatting for my three manuscripts means proofreading 600 + pages as life goes on. Quite the homework assignment.
Questions to ask and concerns to consider take on a life of their own while floating, which I prefer to the burdens of gravity. Give me buoyancy any day.
The meeting I have or came from is best reviewed underwater with tunes playing. Life’s assaults take on different perspectives as my head becomes a subwoofer while slicing through the water and making it my bitch. Once a person swimming next to me mentioned my odd swimming style, the erratic arm movements and awkward kicking… In fact I was swimming to the tune I was listening to, probably a samba or something classical by their description.
The Incredible Mr. Limpet
Most if not all seems better underwater. See the Incredible Mr. Limpet if you have any doubts. Random thoughts take on new meanings though many profound ideas have been lost because of my difficulty in remembering them once dry. But when I do, watch out as actions occur and insightful questions are asked. The top of my game often happens below the waterline. A place that soothes my body and directs my mind to points unconsidered on terra firma.
A place where I never fear a storm but instead dance in the rain or in
this case, a pool.
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Alan Lake
Chef/percussionist/writer/