LETS GO SWIMMING!

I love to go swimming! My Dad, who is not much of a swimmer, calls it "staying alive in water". But to me it is so much more than that.
When I was young it was always a treat to go to the cottage at Roblin Lake. My sisters and I would spend hours in the water. We would dive dolphin style, do handstands, see how many somersaults we could do in one breath, forwards and backwards or the classic try to figure out what the other was saying underwater. I would spend so much time in the water my lips would turn blue earning me the nick name "popsicle lips". At night we would sneak out and go "vimming" which in common vernacular is skinny dipping. But we called it vimming. Those that know me will vouch for the fact I am a big fan of swimming in the buff and when I get the chance - I do!
We have a beautiful public pool in Belleville (alas no vimming allowed here) so this year I took out a membership and have taken the waters a few times over the winter. I usually meet my mom there but sometimes I go on my own. 

It has nice long lanes for working out, an area for the kids to play in and a therapy pool, which is warmer. My mom and I go for the lanes and swim back and forth. I like to flip over on my back and float by those rows of hanging blue and white flags. In my mind, I cross the finish line....the crowd goes wild!!! 
I meet lots of different people there too. One time I met Nick. Nick is in his 20s and has some mental disabilities. As I'm swimming by in a lane, Nick is coming the other way. He get closer to me and next thing I know Nick is coming in to grab my arms. An older gentlemen who is watching Nick yells at him
"No touching Nick!!" 
Nick backs off but just keeps staring.
"Nick doesn't realize he will drown people."
Right, I'm thinking. Good to know. So as we continue to swim by each other while doing laps Nick now has two people on either side of him and everytime we get to passing they would yell
"Keep going Nick! Keep going!!"
I meet people who are there working on healing an injury or just having a good time with their little ones. 
I bought myself a new bathing suit online and wonder of wonders, it fits. You ladies will know this is bordering on the miraculous. Buying a bathing suit is a tricky endeavour, buying one on line is downright risky. 

Swimming in a pool is nice. Swimming in a lake with the sun to warm you up, listening to the sound of the waves lapping up on shore and the wind tickling the trees is even better. I'm sitting here looking out at the never ending banks of dirty snow but soon people......soon we can hit the beaches and clean cool Canadian lakes.