This was definitely one of those mornings where I just was not feeling it and the idea of a swim felt heavy and sort of burdensome. I went to bed last night feeling overwhelmed and hopeless about some personal matters. I woke up at 4:30 and throughout my morning meditation I felt like I was groping for an anchor. I felt like a darkness was pressing in on me. All the while I know I am in this box where my fears echo against the wall and I can’t hear the river of life outside. I know that river is there and perhaps it will be the next breath that will clear out the muck and let me hear it.

I leave the house at about 6:20 and it is still dark. I’m beginning to look forward to daylight savings. Hitting that ocean water at dawn feels crazy but I’m also sure it will be fine. It was more than fine yesterday and we have not had much of any wind to speak of since so how could it not be comfortable?

I’m listening to a memoir of Richard Branson called Finding my Virginity. He is the billionaire founder of the many Virgin companies. I’ve always found him super interesting in interviews and Audible had his book on sale for 5 bucks. I’m a total sucker for Audible sales.

People like Branson fascinate me. They seem to live a charmed life where everything they touch grows and flourishes. They identify a path they want to take and they just take it without worrying or getting bogged down by details and risks. Throughout my life I have come to personally know others like Branson who have similar abilities. I mean they are not billionaires (but some are pretty well off) and they are not business moguls but they have this same ability to seemingly float from experience to experience providing extreme value to both products and to people.

I don’t think this is because they have a super high IQ or have some hereditary gift they were born with. I think they have a knack for navigating the milestones of their life like water. Flowing from point to point along a path of least resistance. I think the key is that they have found a way to access an energy that gives them a perspective on life transpiring before them and seemingly allows them to bend reality around them as they work with the energy around them.

These people seem to be “unconflicted” and in touch with what is going on both inside and outside of them. They do not become slaves to worry or societal rules that tell them what they “should” do.

So I am listening to Richard Branson and reflecting on others in my life that have manifested this same energetic maneuverability and I wonder how I can learn from them and follow a similar path. I have lots of ideas and I am leaning into all of them but there are times where it feels like our trajectory is just bouncing off walls. I’m willing to bet that even the Bransons of this world have felt the same. They just don’t let the walls define their limits.

I get to the beach parking lot and it is still pretty dark. Someone is parked in my favorite spot (the one closest to the stairs) and he seems to be fiddling with a bunch of fishing gear.

He is about 20 feet ahead of me as I walk down the stairs.

I’m pretty comfortable heading down to the beach. There is just a tiny chill but it’s not bad at all. Every day for the past few days gets a bit cooler in the morning.

I hit the beach and the fishing guy is prepping his stuff. It looks like he has a small raft that he is going to use to fish out past the surf. I’ve seen these before. I chat with him for a little bit. He says he mostly catches Calico Bass but has caught Leopard Shark and Halibut as well. He says this is the best time of day to fish. I asked him if the fish go away in the Winter because I never seem to see them then and he says they are still here but are far less active.

I move on to start my swim. I see this outcropping of rocks that seems to be moving about throughout the last week. Yesterday it was right were I usually start my swim and today it is closer to the asphalt ramp.

The water touches my feet and I am surprised by the warmth. Like I said before, I did expect it to be tolerable but I guess I thought it might be colder at dawn. Well it feels delightful.

I wait out a set before making my way out. The funny thing is that these waves are pretty tiny but for the past week they have been breaking directly on the shore and carry rocks that are larger than you would want to have pounce on your foot.

I find my window of opportunity and head out. It is good. I have this sort of epiphany where I realize just how good of an idea this is to be right here right now. I mean regardless of any dread I might have of getting in a cold ocean (which this is not), I never let that stop me from getting in. My rule is that I have to at least get in but then I can get out at any time.

My energy is shifting. I can also see blue sky out at the northern horizon. It is definitely mostly cloudy out but there is beautiful blue sky out toward San Pedro and lovely puffy clouds in between that glow pink as the sun rises.

I swim and I swim and I open my heart to what the ocean has to give me. The water is mostly smooth but also has a good amount of bounce to it and I let my body feel the force of this up and down motion.

At one point a line of Pelicans hover just a couple feet above the surface and swoosh directly above me. I can’t grab my camera fast enough to get a shot but grab one photo where you can see the trailing bird in the distance.

I feel totally connected to this landscape and I enjoy this moment of solitude where I don’t see anyone and then I see a lone boat motoring north - probably checking on Lobster traps.

All in all this swim goes by quickly. I head back up the stairs feeling truly grateful for what the ocean gave to me. I am a happier person coming up these stairs than I was coming down.