Read this only if you are a Swimmer....

....Haha got you! You're welcome to read this even if you're not a swimmer, with the disclaimer that the sentences will meander with almost no meaning and most certainly put you to sleep! However, if you've spent a better part of your childhood training in a 25 or 50 meter pool, some of this may be relatable, so read on.

The benefit of training in sultry and humid Mumbai was that the water was always pleasant. A quick warm up and the first dive into the pool at the start of the training, had two clear benefits. The grime of the school day washed off instantly and miraculously the body came alive.

The first lap always seemed to extend till eternity. A slow and gentle movement, physics at its best where the limbs propelled the torso forward.

My vision would be crystal clear and during the first lap, I would scan the bottom of the pool. Look for the pattern of the broken tile, the odd leaf that found its way, or worse a piece of bread or idli dropped by a flying crow.

Mostly though, I used those first few laps to clear my head. It felt like a surge of water was gushing through my skull. And washing out every ugly and uncomfortable thought and feeling.

And without fail, even now, every time I swim, I scan the tiles, move my limbs to push my torso forward, and can feel the water gushing through my skull. My head clears up instantly. Including this past week in Bangalore. 8 pm, 20 degrees and doing laps in my residential apartment pool's icy cold water. In the midst of a week from hell, where my health played truant. Yet swimming through those waters, was a good reminder that everything is alright.