the deep end

1. I have a fear of water.
2. My new hobby is swimming.

My recovery from this summer's four month long tour extravaganza took a little longer than expected. I'd never been on the road for that length of time. There came a point where I gave up on exercise entirely, and just focused on performing and sleeping. Once I got back home, I felt like all the time spent in the car had afforded me the physique of a pierogi. (Appropriate, given my Ukrainian heritage.) After a month of feeling doughy, I renewed my gym membership. It was fitting to compliment a metamorphosis from dumpling to human by giving swimming a try.

Turns out, it's my new favourite thing to do.

I get to the pool a couple of times a week. It's been revolutionary. I'm a crummy swimmer in the overall scheme of things. It takes all of my concentration to get my limbs moving at the right time. Lately, I've been geeking out on videos that teach me how to improve my freestyle and I just bought new googles that make me look like a total pro.

The most satisfying part is that I have been witness to my own improvement. My breathing has relaxed and lengthened with practice. I especially love the sensation of gliding through the water and the fleeting moments of grace that result.

During my swims my mind tends to drift, but a single thought keeps returning. Being a full time musician and a novice swimmer have one thing in common:

They're both much easier to do if you don't panic.