It’s Sunday morning and I sleep in to 5 AM. I’m going to church alone today and can get away with an extra half hour of sleep since I don’t have to help get our 16 month old foster son ready. Sure I could ask him to change his own diaper, but toddlers these days expect to have their diapers changed for them. God forbid they dress or feed themselves!

It’s relatively warm outside for this early - 60 degrees and I’m not complaining. Its cloudy but google says we can expect to see some sun today. The beach feels a world away. I’m here walking the dogs and the thought that I am going to be in the water swimming through the waves seems like a foreign thought. However I am definitely looking forward to it. I missed my Saturday swim yesterday. I just had too much to get done and it had been several days since I had run and since I had to choose between run or swim, I chose run. As much as I’d love to swim and run everyday, there are other things I have to get done.

I get to the beach and there is a north west breeze in the air and some descent texture on the water’s surface. Although it is cloudy, I can see a small gap in the clouds between here and another expanse of clouds above Catalina Island. There is definitely some surf but also some significant delay between sets. I get in the water and it feels comfortable. The water temperature has definitely come up a couple degrees this week. Surfline says it is 61-62 which feels about right. Might even be flirting with 63.

For the past several weeks the morning wind has been predominately coming from the south but today it is coming from the north. So for the first time in a while I am being pushed southward and then after my turn around I fight my way north. Regardless of where the current is coming from, on days like this, every few breaths I often intake a fair amount of water as it rolls over my head. My head is only a few inches above water so it doesn’t take much of a wake to get you right in the face. I can see water descend in sheets over my goggles. Honestly it’s invigorating and more exciting than a struggle.

I’ve got piano running through my head today like I do many or most days. It’s usually whatever I have been doodling with the night before. Today there are some random lyrics here and there but I just can’t make out most of the words. I wish I was more of a song writer. I’m not. I’ll sit at the piano, start riffing on some set of cords and melody and may play around that theme for 2 minutes or an hour and finish when I make some off key mistake or just grow tired of what I’m playing. I’m not a good musical finisher. My style is kind of like George Winston, but lets be very clear that I do not play as well - not even close - not even in the same universe of talent as George. Because I do not know him and will never be within talking distance of him, I can call him George.

As I am just about at my final and northernmost turning point, I see something out of the corner of my eye. It’s another swimmer. I see very few fellow swimmers when I am out. I know there is a group that comes on Sunday mornings so this does not surprise me. He or she looks colorful: a black wetsuit with some blue coloring and some kind of red floating thing. Almost all swimmers I see have a full wetsuit and these red contraptions. Maybe I should too? I like the freedom of just trunks and goggles. I look around and I don’t see others. Usually I see them in packs. Then I do see another and as I get close to the end of my swim I see a couple more. As I approach the shore I see even more and they look like they are just starting to swim out. It feels like I have emerged into a small crowd. It’s exciting! These folks must have an idea of how great this all is. I want to eat meals with them and wax poetic over glasses of Pinot about the wonders of swimming in the ocean. Well its only 7:30 in the morning and I have places to go so some other time.

I do strike up a brief conversation with a few of them on my way back to the stairs and we talk about the marine life we have seen in recent weeks. The sun is finding more ground and the sky is blue overhead now. It’s a good morning to be out.