meditation for the on-the-go, working two jobs, overcommitted, can't say no single

I’ve been called “The Crazy One” by Carrie. Crazy, because just when it seemed my life couldn’t get any fuller, I took on the challenge presented to me in this blog. Are there times when I want to quit, or don’t feel like going to the pool? Of course there are. But I’ve been happy to find that, for the most part, I really look forward to my time in the water.

Unlike any other exercise I’ve ever participated in, there is quiet in the water. There is nothing to hear except my own exhales under water, and the splashing of other swimmers as they pass in the adjacent lanes (except, of course, when the kids come on the weekends, ruining everything with their incessant screaming). I focus on nothing but swimming, running through a mental checklist to make sure that my form is correct, and keeping a count of the laps I’ve swum. It is a time where I can forget everything else from my day – leave behind any frustration I might feel toward my boss(es), the sea of papers that cover my desk, and the clock that ticks endlessly through the eight-hour days at my job. I forget the interpersonal conflicts that might arise with people in my life, the decisions that I keep putting off about my future, and the current state of disarray in my bedroom. For a brief thirty to sixty minutes, all I think about is breathing and getting to the other side of the pool. In it’s own way, it is a form of meditation, but one that suits my can’t-sit-still life. And for now, that has to be meditation enough for me.