It’s still dark but as I lay in my bed I can hear the birds start to call. The mornings are getting lighter, the winter is slipping away. The frost on the ground is a heavy one but the sun is warm and I know the river will be welcoming. I’ve washed my goggles in shampoo which clears them of fog but today the water is cloudy, it’s full of suspended sand and debris, it’s not bad, it’s just different.
We see another group of swimmers start their swim further up the river, I decide that they’re friends that we haven’t met yet, we catch up and are pleased to meet them, they’re just starting their season of river swimming and ask to join us for our next swim. On the beach a little white crab scuttles between my feet, the swell is big, there are surfers everywhere. When we return to the boat ramp there are fishermen, paddle boarders, kayakers and a group of school kids on an excursion. It’s time to share the river, share the carpark and share the seat where we warm ourselves in the sun. We’re all reluctant to leave the water, we want it to last for just one more minute, I notice we all stop propelling ourselves forward and savour the last moments of our last swim of winter. I peel off my wetsuit in the water, it’s cool but not cold enough for me to feel much of a difference. I walk over to get changed and some emotion leaks out of my eyes but I’m smiling. I feel like I’ve made it, I’ve swum through winter. I’m sad that it’s over but I’m excited for tomorrow and whatever it may bring.
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AuthorKirrilee Archives
September 2018
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