A New Return (20)

I swam laps for the first time in I don't know how long, "real" laps doing the crawl with my goggles and earplugs, the first since I've lived in the desert, the first time at Marylou and Richard's pool. We'd had a string of unexpected cool nights, so I thought the pool may have cooled down, too, and it had. I swam near noon, and became almost dizzy from the brightness of the sun and the madly moving reflections on the bottom of the pool. So then I treaded water in the shade of a palm tree. I faced our impressive mountains in the west. I felt fresh and virtuous and happy to be moving my body, to be exercising even in the middle of a summer day in the desert. I watched big, smart wasps touch down on the surface of the pool to drink and then take off again, like wispy agile sea planes. I felt glad and lucky to be in the water, enjoyed the luxury of having the small, pretty pool to myself. I put my clothes back on and walked home, my wet bathing suit keeping me cool. I can't wait to do it again.