The sea

Yesterday I went swimming at Taylor's Mistake. It was freezing and I very nearly bottled out on a proper swim. I'm so pleased I didn't. The sea is a soul place for me, a place to regenerate myself, even when my toes go numb and I start to shiver. My last sea swim was in the Medit in the south of France. That was slightly warmer, refreshing but not breathtakingly cold like yesterday. The waves were a lot smaller too.

I spent my formative years living near the sea, being able to swim and surf and lie in the sun all summer long and surf through the winter with a wet suit. I can't ever remember getting sick, not a cold, no days off school for illness. I did take days off school when the surf was up, missed the bus or better still the connecting bus where we were out of adult range. We jumped back on the bus in the afternoon, complete with crumpled uniforms and lunch eaten. I'm sure someone knew where we were, it was a small place afterall.

When ever I go swimming in the sea, those feelings of being a kid diving through the waves come flooding back. I look longingly at those surfing, I gave that up many years ago, having to grow up quickly. Surfing is freedom, time to empty your mind as you watch the swells and wait for the perfect wave. Time to pit yourself against the forces of nature.

Some times you win and feel the exhilaration of racing along with this awesome force until it spits you off. More often you lose, crashing and tumbling through the wash not knowing which way is up. The worst is when your leg rope gives way and you have no ballast to pull you to the surface, nothing to cling to as you get your breath back and check you are still in one piece.

Swimming yesterday, diving through the waves, the breathtakingly cold waves, gave me some respite from planning, packing and family and juggling all the balls I have in the air at the moment. A soul place, a place of freedom.