Jupiter Dreams

Another cloudy morning here in Dana Point. It’s been quite warm the past few days and it is definitely warm out as I leave at 7:00. It’s warm but not hot. No direct sunlight yet. I’m in a bit of a rush to leave since I need to be back by 9:00 sharp. If I leave now and nothing crazy happens, that won’t be a problem.

I get to the parking lot and a small group of semi-organized walkers are congregating. I make my way down the stairs to a beach that is at about a 0.0 low tide. It’s on it’s way up from a 5:38 -1.4 tide. Jupiter rock is nowhere to be found. I know it’s here under the sand somewhere. Does it dream?

My feet hit the water and I can tell this is going to be one lusciously warm swim. It’s so dark and dreary here but I swear I can see sunlight every time the water rushes over my skin. I walk out past the small waves and finally lean in and let my body sink beneath the surface and it takes about a 253rd of a second to adjust to the temperature. It’s unspeakably comfortable.

I am swimming south against a south wind. I can feel the water sloshing about. It’s not still but not choppy either. It seems to move against me in a pulsating rhythm. It seems like I can barely see a thing through my goggles. The shore is like a faint shadow. I know it’s there. I see all that I need to see. I can feel my way down the beach if I need to. It feels good. I feel the water on my skin. I feel my legs kick and slap against the surface.

My thoughts are full of concerns today. There is just so much to do and I have to choose what gets done and what gets neglected and hope I am making the right choices. It’s not always easy to choose. Some of these things that want my attention are actually quite exciting and are obvious opportunities to move forward. Others are more ambiguous. They want me to give to them but I wonder if they have anything to give back. I wonder if they will simply demand more and more and always more. It’s hard to know. Then there are other things that simply need to be tended to. They will wine and wine until I do so, but once I give them what they need, they will go away.

I swim and watch all of these things in my periphery. I acknowledge there presence. Here in the water I don’t need to give any of them anything. I only have to let them float on the surface around me. They follow me effortlessly. I can’t make them go away. I can only keep swimming. Perhaps some will grow tired of following me and slip into the distance behind me. Then there are others that I will make an extra effort to keep by my side. They seem to cast a light on me and before me. Yes those I want to keep close on this dark and dreary beach.