Together or Alone?

Swimming is my favorite exercise, and 3 days a week I am at the pool at 5 AM doing laps!    The five lanes in the pool are usually filled at that early morning hour as I swim for sixty minutes.   Last week on one of the days there were only 2 of us, and I began to wonder about the regulars that were missing that day.  I know some of their names, and others are just people I see as we pass in our lanes. 

That means there is a lot of time to think as I swim from one end to the other in the 25 yard pool!  I began to ponder, are we swimming alone or together?  In reality, doing laps is a solitary event.  However, there is some camaraderie as we journey back and forth at that early morning hour.  Each one of us is obviously has a common interest of staying fit.  However, it is not a sport where you can talk to one another!

One time the pool was full when I got there, and I had to ask a gal if I could share her lane.  She told me sure, but could she have the side closest to the edge of the pool.  She explained that she was just learning to swim, and did not know how to swim and breathe at the same time! That explained it!  I had observed her swim many times and she kept stopping after only a few feet!  I discovered the reason for that with this conversation:  she had to stop to get a breath!  I was impressed!  She went to the pool at 5 AM to swim, even though she was just learning!  How brave she is!

I’ve discovered that even though swimming laps is something that I do alone, I can still have some friendships with my pool partners!   Kind of reminds me of daily life:  even though we each go our separate ways, we can still stop long enough to connect with another person!