I Swim

I recently was a guest speaker at a support group for women with Ovarian Cancer. They asked me to speak on quality of life issues. Most of the participants have had cancer for a while and have experienced multiple rounds of chemotherapy, so I spent time on things other than side effects from chemotherapy. At one point, I asked the group this question, "What do you do to honor yourself?". I was curious to know how they honor themselves despite the fact that their bodies weren't cooperating. One woman said ironing her husband's shirts (what?), another mentioned getting a Massage or a Healing Touch Treatment, another said going for a walk and quite a few looked at me like I was crazy. It got me thinking. What do I do to honor myself? To honor something means to recognize it as special or worthy, to treat it with respect or reverence.

Today I honored myself by going for a swim. I swam a mile. For all those who like numbers, that's 88 lengths or 44 laps and 176 pushes against the wall. I have been swimming laps at The Jewish Community Center for over 19 years. Some of those years were really bad and I rarely swam and some were really great and I swam over 150 miles. Some laps were done in anger and more than a few I swam in tears. Mostly I just swam. The numbers are my mantra and when I struggle I focus on my stroke and just let my mind go. If I swim after work, every time I push off the wall I let a little piece of the day go, until all that's left is a peaceful fatigue. The best part of swimming is when I let my body take over and become one with the water. It holds and comforts me with every stroke. There is no better feeling.

So what do you do to honor yourself? I like to hear about it. Because you are worthy and I hope you recognize it.