Life is Good

I slept in until 7:00. Oh so decadent. Even more decadent is that I actually did not sleep until 7:00 but I probably woke up around 6:00 and then allowed myself to simply remain in a horizontal position. I don’t do this often but I was certainly happy to do it today.

I look out my window after my meditation and teeth brushing and there is a lot to be liked by what I am seeing. I see predominately blue sky, wispy white clouds that looks like a painter lightly brushed across the sky. I’ve grown to be a huge fan of this artist’s work. Oh and these orangeish pink tones glowing on the eastern edge of the sky.

I’m out the door at about 9:45 and between my place and the beach, everything that I see around me lives up to the hype that was served up earlier through my bedroom window. Our weather remains spectacular here in Dana Point. Highs today are due to be in the low 70’s. I think the temperature right now is about 66 and I can feel the electrical hand of the sun on my shoulder and it feels good.

I’m thinking about how cold the water will be but oddly I’m not really stressed about it. It’s so typical of me to walk down the stairs and get all worked up inside about how cold I’m going to be all the while knowing that it is going to be great. For whatever reason, today I am pretty stress free even though on my run by the Salt Creek lifeguard tower on Friday, the temperature was posted at 59. Now that’s getting cold. I just don’t know if I believe it. The buoys are still reporting in at the low 60’s and there has been no wind event since my last swim that would cause temps to noticeably fall. Well we will see. I’m still not bringing a pack with towel and warm clothes. I’m holding on to the minimalist vibe for as long as I can and am delighted to be walking down with only goggles and a camera in my hands in the middle of January. How great is this?!

I get to the beach and it’s absolutely beautiful. I was just here for the sunset with my 5 year old son yesterday evening and it was quite blissful then as well. The surf is tiny and the tide is receding from a 6.1 earlier this morning. I take in the view from all directions. It’s a lot to take in but it’s all good.

I get in the water and yes it is cold but not crazy cold. It feels about the same as it did on Thursday. However I must admit as I stand here with the sun bathing the upper half of my body in direct, unshaded ecstasy, I’m not super excited to start the swim. Can I just stand here forever and ever and ever? As much as I complain about not wanting to find myself “stuck” in life, right now I’m feeling the appeal of being stuck in the sun. Well that’s just not going to happen. Off I go. I’m swimming south.

The cold rushes through all my nooks and crannies which I will not enumerate for the benefit of the reader. I relax into my exhale where I meet the cold on its terms. I try to explore it with curiosity and not aversion. Soon I can feel the water grow a touch warmer and I know if the cold remains here, I can be good for quite some time. This ends up being exactly what happens. This is how I can recognize that the seasons have turned and it’s time to start bringing the pack to the beach - when I’m totally fine for the first half of the swim and then the warmth slowly bleeds out of me and provides a more challenging second half. I’ve noticed that I’ve grown more robust in the last couple years, but in all likeliness, this will happen sometime between now and April. Probably sooner than later.

Like most swims, oh who am I kidding - all swims, the swim is so pristinely beautiful. The blue sky is so crisp and clear and the faint clouds at the edge of the horizon creates these designs in the sky that are truly fun to watch. There are boaters and kayakers in the water enjoying this lovely sunny Sunday.

I think the highlight of the swim was a kelp forest I swam through and decided to dive down and then stare at the surface through the vines and leaves from below. The water shades my eyes and the light is caught in the kelp leaves and everything is alive and happy to share its energy. I’m filled with joy and feel like a child as I float to the surface and become truly dizzy when I come up for breath.

I have piano playing in my head over the whole swim - something I have been playing the last few days and last night. I played just a little before leaving this morning because I find doing that is like programming my mind with a playlist for the swim. My thoughts are light today - very light. I’ve had lots of swims where thoughts are dark and heavy and the water provides solace. Today is not such a day. The water simply amplifies what is already here. I feel like right now life is good and I swim in gratitude.