Dive in (written 9/4/16)
A calm takes over when sitting by a large body of water, watching the water flow, the sunlight that glistens off the surface. Matthew and I have been camped by a pond for the past week. I have spent hours in quiet contemplation admiring the beauty of the pond and all that surrounds it. Some days we get in and go for a swim. This is never just a simple matter. The water is cool and feels divine once you are in. It’s the gradual walk, feeling the cool slowly creep up your legs that can be a deterrent. Once, in the past, I have eased into the water up to my thighs then backed out. Since being at the pond one of us will push the other. We take turns being the brave one to dive in once we are deep enough to safely do so. The last time it was me. We did a 20 min HIIT workout and I was already feeling pretty warm from that. Once I was thigh deep in the water I felt the normal hesitation before diving in. It’s the moment of truth, now or never. I find that it’s best not to hesitate for long. Before I could start talking myself out of it I took a deep breath and dived in. It was cooler than before but felt amazing. It still took Matthew another couple minutes to join me. He was hovering in hesitation mode. I knew it was a matter of time before he took the dive; otherwise he would never hear the end of it. Deep breath and dive. I took a moment in the center of the pond to enjoy the view. It was 360 degrees of pond, trees and blue sky with small wispy splotches of soft white clouds. It was a lazy swim, no racing across the pond. I felt a connection to nature, being surrounded by the flowing cool water. When I was young my brother and I spent the entire summer at the pool. Spending that much time in the water, jumping back in feels like seeing an old friend. There is a comfortable familiarity. I guess that's how I feel about nature. A close friend, who welcomes me, no matter what time of day, year or what the weather is like.
What we've been up to for the past few days: Hike, rock climb, hike, rock climb, hike... see a pattern?
Ampersand Mountain
taking a rest at the summit
Climbing at the Barkeater Cliff
view at the top of the climb
Hiking Giant Mountain
One of the many amazing views
Giant washbowl
Top of the falls
bottom of the falls
Climbing at the Barkeater Cliff, again. Didn't get many photos the second time
hiking Hopkins Mountain
More great views
Sweaty and happy
My cutie pie
getting tired of amazing views yet?..... Yeah, I'm not either.
Hah, we're at the outer banks and planning to walk across the sound to Roanoke island this weekend. Buck was just talking about how we should drag the two of you down 'cause you'd love the adventure too.
ReplyDeleteOooh that does sound fun!! We are heading to his parents house today to help prep for the wedding next weekend. Thanks for thinking of us! Wish they'd come out with a teleporter already.
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