The Effervescence of Living Water

I leave a little before 7:00. It’s mostly sunny with lots of wispy clouds in the sky. When I get to the beach parking lot I take my first harbor run in months. After eliminating running from my routine, my achilleas has improved and I am starting to fold in some small runs into my workouts. Today I take a 3.75 mile run to Heritage park, down to the harbor, up to Baby Beach and then up Cove Rd. and back here to the Strand.

I change into my trunks and head down the stairs. There is an offshore breeze in the air and I can see some surf in the water. I know that we have just now hit a 6.7 high tide which is pretty darn high and I’m wondering what the takeoff conditions will be from the beach. Once I can see the shore, I am relieved to see there is sand exposed so starting from my usual spot will not be an issue. There is still plenty of sand on the beach. Last Spring, a 6.7 high would have made this beach look like a lake. Even the high 4’s could cover up all the sand. We’ll see how long the sand lasts this season.

I can see a half dozen other swimmers making their way back and finishing up their swim. Surf is definitely up quite a bit from yesterday. It’s not huge but compared to flat, it’s big. With the high tide, it breaks very close to shore here. I get in the water and quickly make my way out past the surf. The water feels good. I blame Cove Rd. for a lift in my inner core temperature. I don’t know if that’s just something I’m making up but it makes sense to me so it must be true.

I head south and this is a gorgeous and refreshing swim. As I gaze toward the beach, I watch the waves roll in and break on the shore. Over the second half of the beach, I watch the backwash make its way west towards me and add some wobble to my otherwise fairly smooth ride.

I’m reaching out to the water with my whole self. My hand splashes down on the surface and I turn my head to watch it break through the partition between air and water and travel down into the rich blue below me. I listen to the splash and watch the water stir around my body. I feel the coolness of the water move along my skin and when I stop I feel it become still and grow warmer from the heat I self generate.

This is my entire existence. I know all of this to be true and there is no ambiguity about it. All of these sensations dance about in my direct experience and I welcome them as articles of faith or a creed that captures everything I need to know about who I am and the world I live in. This is my absolute truth if such a thing ever existed.

My breath absorbs my vision and I listen attentively to my exhale - all of this moving in one great circle that exudes the effervescence of living water.