Thoughts from a Pisces
I went for a swim this morning, the first time in a while that I've been in a pool, and it felt like coming home. I love to swim, and maybe it's the Pisces in me, but I often feel like a fish out of water. Years ago, when I went to the beach on a family vacation, I spent almost the entire time neck-deep in the ocean.
I live nestled in the mountains, at least an eight-hour drive from any shoreline, and I call myself an Appalachian. I've always considered myself a mountain girl, but I know, deep down in my heart, that the water calls to me. I could easily live by the ocean.
Breathing in the salty ocean air is the best kind of healing I know. I remember bobbing among the waves and hearing behind me, suddenly, click-swish, click-swish. I turned around and saw a sea ray, not three feet away from me, jumping in and out of the water. It's one of my favorite memories. I wanted to be that ray in that moment. I felt that we were both at home.
A pool is not quite the same as the ocean, but it will suffice. I'll take advantage of the water while it's available to me. This summer, my wet hair will remain eternally plastered to my back. I'll smell like sunscreen and chlorine. I'll move my arms and legs in that beautiful kind of steady flow and let the water caress me. I'll be a marine animal once more, the way I was meant to be.