I feel exhilarated right now. This afternoon, as it has been such a beautiful day, I made the effort to go to the lido which has just reopened in an area not too far from where I live. I only found out about it a few weeks ago from friends who have been using it. What a joy! There are so few pools left in my area of London; the nearest 'proper' swimming pool – i.e. not a fun pool – is a long a tiresome bus journey and is always full of schoolchildren. While I think it's wonderful that children are given plenty of opportunity to swim, there is something peculiar about the acoustics of swimming pools which makes the ebullient noises of children even more difficult to bear than usual (see posts passim on problems with sensory input). I have therefore found it too difficult to swim there, and haven't swum for almost 2 years.
On a day like today, nothing could have been more perfect than swimming in a lido. It's only a shame I could do so little, as the feeling of being suspended in water is something wonderful, and swimming is an activity I had always enjoyed immensely. (In fact, when I use a visualisation exercise in relaxation, the 'special place' to which I retreat has a beach – tropical, of course – and I always go swimming in the sea, which transports me to a more relaxed, happy, powerful state of being.)
Just one possible problem: I had said to myself that I would limit myself to two slow lengths with a break in between. However, the pool turned out to be Olympic-sized (50-metres). In the end, I simply wasn't able to resist swimming back for that second length, as being in the water was such a wonderful feeling. I am now feeling quite pooped – dizzy, hot-headed and trembly. I am telling myself that this is just the effects of deconditioning/lack of fitness and not a sign that I have over-stressed my system and that it will not lead to a set-back. For one thing, I want to get back to the pool next week!
I had a stressful and upsetting session with my occupational therapist yesterday. Stressful and upsetting because of my reactions, not because of anything bad she did. I'm going to try to post something about that in the next day or two, because it will help me to think through why I found it so difficult.
13/09/07 @ 18:34