Transfigured
Oh man what a swim today. So many swims turn out so differently than originally anticipated. I sometimes get to the beach and I am met with a delightful surprise or one unfolds over the course of the swim. Today was one of those swims.
I wake up before light but by the time 6:00 comes, it looks like we are back to our morning coastal overcast pattern. I even contemplate not swimming and taking the day off. Then I remember how warm the water is and how much I hate the elliptical machine and swimming is back in the plan.
On the way to the beach, I’m browsing the morning surf report and it mentions the presence of monsoonal thunderstorms offshore of San Diego making their way north and the possibility of thunder storms between 8 and 9. It’s almost 7:00 now and I figure I will be getting out of the water a little after 8:00. Well this could be interesting.
As I descend Selva Road, the sky is dominated by clouds with the exception of what looks like about a half mile to a mile long sliver directly offshore. It is far enough west that I can’t see any blue sky but I can see the sunlight shining on the water. It looks very pretty and there is a lone boat smack dab in the middle of that sliver and I wish I had a fancy shmancy camera that could perfectly capture that seascape. With my camera, it would look like some kind of a dot in the water.
I get to the parking lot and make my way down to the beach. As I get close to the water and the wet sand, the ground seems to get warmer. The water rolls over my feet and, oh yes, this is why. Also, this is why I am here. The warm water pulls me like a gravitational force. I look north to the sky and it almost looks like some of the cloud cover is evaporating. I am seeing faint but unmistakable hues of blue smattered above the Ritz.
I get into the water and start to swim. Oh this water. I swim south and am thoroughly enjoying my surroundings. It doesn’t take long before the clouds to my east start to move and separate. I am drawn to this orb in the sky that I at first wonder is the moon because it is just this faint, matte sphere that doesn’t seem to have the luminosity of a sun. I take a couple pics and then over the course of about 5 minutes, the sky is transfigured. Suddenly I am in a different ocean from the one where I started.
The clouds to the north spread open and what was a plain gray layer of marine layer is now a dramatic mix of bright blue sky and large fluffy pure white clouds. To the south is blue sky over the local waters and dark dark clouds in the southern distance. The configuration of cloud, blue sky and sun seem to be constantly changing and it feels like every other minute I raise my head to take a breath as I swim and am confronted with miracle after miracle in the sky.
I just can’t believe this is happening. I think about the fact that I considered not coming this morning and how big of a mistake that would have been. I continue to move south and that lullaby song I mentioned a few posts ago starts to play in my head and I am drawn into a particular passage. It’s not the the words that draw me, though I do love them, but the chord of the singers voice mixed with the music. There is a feeling emitted from that chord. I can’t give it a word but I am viscerally feeling it here and I just let myself rest in it and experience it.
The rest of the swim is amazing. The sky is continually changing. It eventually grows more dark and the winds pick up. There is stil substantial blue sky to provide variety and texture. I can feel the splashing of my arms and legs spray in the breeze. It seems like so much is happening right here and right now. My thoughts don’t seem to wander much because there is so much right in front of me to keep them occupied.
As I am finishing, I am seeing several people on the beach running about and then I see a whole bunch of bodies swimming in a line just offshore of me. It looks like there is some kind of semi-organized event taking place. As I walk onto shore, there are about 20 guys walking on all fours like that’s what they are supposed to be doing. I’m very curious what is happening here. I ask someone nearby and they ignore me. Well this just might need to remain a mystery.
As I walk up the stairs, it begins to rain. It’s not just drizzle but honest to goodness rain. It’s a good thing I am wearing my bathing suit.
