Reset
A pod of 22 Pelicans flies beyond the opening to Aquatic Park where Alcatraz sits off in the distance. I stop mid-stroke to watch them soar and then swoop down low along the water. The beauty in their flight causes me to pause. Seagulls swoosh past in erratic solo flight directly above me, one to the left, one above, one off to the right. A Cormorant bobs on the water a couple of hundred yards away and then with a deft dive, she disappears.
Boats moored in Aquatic Park bob about in the wind as swimmers pace across the turbulent current. Sometimes one senses what it might feel like to swim in a washing machine, other times, the water is calm and as smooth as glass.
My pod of 3 gals (adding a 4th now to be a quadpod) enjoys a swim a couple of times a week during this pandemic. We avoid the crowds on weekends. Sometimes it’s a little foggy, but now that we are entering October, we have had some wonderful swims this past month as the SF weather typically becomes a real summer for us. We bask in sunny skies here in September through October while the rest of the nation prepares for Autumn.
I spent 17 days between late August and September unable to swim due to the poor air quality from the fires all around the Bay Area (north, south, and east of us). It was one of the toughest times for me as I went out only once or twice for groceries and truly missed the reset the swims provide. But every day I kept telling myself, “Dana, you are safe. You have your apartment intact. You haven’t had to flee for your life with whatever treasures you can carry.” I sent daily soul messages out to the universe to keep people safe and to protect the firefighters and first-responders. I donated money to victim relief funds including our beloved animals. Bad air quality certainly was not the worst of it. But, it kept me in a state of depression for a few weeks.
The air finally cleared and we’ve been back to swimming. As the countdown to the election nears, every day brings more stunning horror to our constitutional republic and the threat to democracy with a fair election. More swimming planned to wash away the daily thousand cuts to my mind, soul, and heart.
