Breaking Waves - it began in the sea
Excerpt from Chapter 1: The Shape of Water
Today the fatigue fairies are well and truly dancing on my head. After a week of glorious wellness followed by possibly my worst acute body crash yet, I have thrown my hat back into the ‘Western’ medical ring and tripled my immuno-suppressant drugs. Something I was resisting, but sometimes needs must... Having also had my Covid jab and flu jab on the same day, my body is now thoroughly confused and just wants to rest in a field of Dorothy’s poppies - although I am not in pain which is beyond delightful. I’ll take the fatigue any day of the week.
So today I am going to go gently, care for the dogs I have with me (an enormous lurcher and a very lazy dachshund), nurse my alarmingly swollen armpits (lymph glands doing their thing?!?) and be slow.
In the meantime, I’d love to share with you this excerpt from the first chapter of my book, Breaking Waves, about why and how I first experienced open water, and the way it began to change my life.
There are two reasons that this is in the forefront of my sleepy head today:
Firstly, comments on Substack from people wanting to know more about my open water swimming, which really surprised me because in my mind I talk about it all the time!! I then realised that since I’ve been on Substack, although I’ve written a whole book on the subject, I haven’t really introduced it that much in my writing on here. I think it’s because whilst my book is under submission with publishers, I’ve put that whole thought process into a little scary box and closed the lid. I do still swim all the time, so I’ve decided not to let that box scare me, and come back to celebrating this key part of my life whether my book gets ‘traditionally’ published or not!
Secondly, I was interviewed recently on a brilliant podcast - the Gavin Sisters Wellness Show - which ‘dropped’ yesterday (I will write more about this with links/audio excerpts as soon as I’ve worked out how to do that!). I listened to myself recounting the experience of my first open water swim, and how it subtly yet significantly changed my life, and this is something I’d love to share with you.
It tells the story of a family holiday in Dorset, England, and a moment of chance. An opportunity to enter an ‘open water sea swim’ as a complete novice in a Marks & Spencer’s swimming costume, as someone who was terrified of the sea and deep water, who hadn’t swum since school PE lessons, and who was drowning in grief and early motherhood. About why I was compelled to dive in, and what came next.
About how on that day, something began to change...and how it began in the sea.
I hope you enjoy it, I’m off for a nap.
