Definitely a dreary Mother’s day today. Cloudy skies and a good steady south breeze is blowing which is making the ocean look most unwelcome. Fortunately the temperature both inside and outside the water is pretty forgiving. Feels pretty good but looks awful. Today is the third in a series of sermons that Ed Piorek is giving in Laguna Beach so it’s an early morning start. As I head down the stairs for the beach, I begin to have second thoughts about the swim and even turn back to the car. Maybe I should go back home and just take a run. Perhaps that would make sure I’m back at the house sooner in case our 16 month old foster son wakes up early. Then I realize that by the time I drive back home and change into my running clothes, I won’t save any time and the ocean will make me feel better than a run. So I turn back around and commit to the swim.

Getting further down the stairs, the ocean just looks like a mess. The surf size looks about the same as yesterday but way worse surfing conditions if that is what you are here for. From what I can see, no one is here for that right now. The water is all roughed up from this wind. When I get to the beach the water feels comfortable. I won’t say it feels warm, but it’s a degree of coolness that I know will feel “refreshing” when I swim.

As I head out into the surf, there is a sizable drop off in the sand. This surf has washed up the sand near the shore so I fall into this trough of rocks and am in to my shoulders. Then as I continue, I climb back up to sand in shin deep water. I dive under several breaks and make it past the surf. Heading south, the current is flowing strong northward against me. I’m feeling a bit out of sorts this morning. It feels good to just release these feelings into the water. I let the funk pass out of me. I feel the resistance as I move forward. I feel the comfortable coolness. I see the grey and I feel and hear the wind. Occasional thick stalks of seaweed reach up to touch me. They are so slippery and I feel them pass from my outstretched hand, along my torso, legs and down to my feet.

I turn to head north and now I am pushed by a jet stream. I’m swimming further out than normal the last couple mornings to avoid the outside breaking waves. Honestly I’m probably a lot farther out than I need to be but I just feel more secure out here. I wonder what the swim to shore will be like. Well it’s not bad at all. The swim is great. The funk is pretty much gone. So good to be here.

Heading up the ramp that leads from the beach to the stairs that go to the parking lot, I run into a group of swimmers. They are looking out to the water and seem to be contemplating the conditions. We say hi and they ask me how it was. I tell them and also mention how nice the temperature is. They all have on full wetsuits and admit they are overdressed. After I pass them up I see them turn around and I think they have decided against the swim. I can’t blame them but I’m feeling very grateful for the swim I had.

I get back to the house and walk in just as our foster son is waking up so it was all perfect timing!