October 1 Milestone: Last Swim at Whipple Dam!

I can tell you for sure that we've had some sad and trying times in the past few months with my family. My husband and I were looking back and I actually made a list of our family visits and stories: "Funeral, funeral, dying, dying, death, DOUBLE funeral. These are my stories," I said, shaking my head.

My husband has been a big help and supporter during this time. He has been in charge of providing distractions for me, pretty much by any means necessary. And let me tell you, he has been taking his responsibilities seriously.

I've been doing all right with my own mental health and grief response, I think. Knowing that my parents went together, as they wished, was a big relief; I was so worried it might go some other, much more horrible way.

I was also afraid of their funeral. Afraid I might do any number of embarrassing and/or shocking things: have an anxiety attack, run screaming from the church, barf on somebody, pass out, or possibly even something worse. It was a relief that it went so well; that we managed to both celebrate and mourn all at the same time. It was sad, actually, but sort of . . .beautiful.

Now we're back to our regularly scheduled daily life. The swimming areas are all closed or closing at the state parks, and my husband suggested that one last chilly swim at Whipple Dam, whose beach closes Monday, might be just the ticket.

I am a girl who never knew how to swim until I met my husband. I was actually afraid of swimming, with some kudos to my mother, who presumed that any one of us who ever went into the water might just drown.

But he was a strong swimmer, and he took me to some beautiful places where you just HAD to swim to go and see things. Some in Pennsylvania, but also to the springs in central Florida (my husband is a PA boy but he got his undergrad psych degree at U of Florida at Gainesville). 

At Alexander Springs in Ocala National Forest, with a snorkel mask and swim fins, if I was brave enough, I could go in and see fish of all kinds, and even alligators! Wowee!!! And so it was that I had good reasons to do so, and I learned to swim.

The water I love best to swim in is COLD water. It clears my brain and gives me a mental reset. It lowers my blood pressure. It makes me very, very calm. I'm not really sure I understand the mechanism HOW but I know it WORKS for me. Cold water is a healing balm for my soul.

And so this is the long way around of telling you that on this day, we went for our last swim at Whipple Dam. Because I knew it was an ending, and I wanted to remember, I asked my husband if he could take a few shots of me swimming in the lake. Which he did.

And then I swam some more, and some more. And I floated on my back and watched the sky. And when I was finally ready to get out, I was walking out of the water, when he gave me a signal to stop. He wanted a few more shots. He waved his arms; he wanted me to wave back. 

I threw my arms in the air and my head back under the sunshine of a beautiful October day and tried to let my body be the picture of how I felt, after such a lovely swim. It felt good. Really good. Beyond refreshing.

So here is a picture of me, looking happy, finding moments of joy amid all of our recent sorrows, and enjoying one last swim at Whipple Dam before season's end. Seize the day! For if there is one thing this year has taught me, it is this: you never know how many of those you have left!

My soundtrack song is this one: Johnny Cash, with Cool Water.

Photo credit to my husband, Steve.  :-)