Water and Me

During my first open water swimming race in the Quarry in Canmore, I started the swim with a big group of swimmers. But with my head in the cold dark water I felt very alone. All I could see was the sun filtering down a few inches and then darkness. My mind was thinking of the girl who drowned in the Quarry a month before. With darkness all around, there was nothing I could focus on other than the looming panic in my mind. So I turned inward, counted my strokes and 'just kept swimming'. Within minutes I had reached the other side of the small lake. Here it was shallower, sunlight reached the bottom and stringy weeds were swaying upwards to the surface. The sight of those weeds immediately calmed my mind. Seeing the life growing in the water reminded me that this cold dark water was also life giving and life supporting.With this thought, I enjoyed the remaining 1200m of my swim.

This experience was unique because I felt how powerful water is and how it needs to be respected. Water is essential to our lives, it is something we live and die from.

Me receiving a medal for the open water swim.