I have had some lovely times recently in the YMCA pools, both in Mystic and Westerly. With my hurting back, my usual exercise routines - bike rides, kayaking, long walks - have been impossible, so I've been forced to seek alternatives, and swimming has been a godsend. Exercising in those pools -- both the lap pools and the warm pool in Westerly -- has been like working out in an inexpensive and almost private paradise. As humans and water animals have known for eons, water is a very welcoming element. I feel totally embraced and supported as I'm swimming slowly along in those pools, as if the water is working carefully, in its soft way, to take good care of me. I move my arms and legs with a fair amount of speed and power (considering my injury), and this morning I felt my heart pumping at a surprisingly fast pace.  And another delight? I've always been one of only a small number of folks in the pools, as if it's my own personal place of healing.  Lucky me (as usual)!

A soggy day today . . .



And some magnetic words . . . 

     We're heading up to Jamie's this evening to pick up the kids and have dinner with them when Jamie gets home from parent conferences.  Lucky Hammy and Cia!