This spring I got an inkling to get back in the water and swim. Just for fun, I make my way back and forth across this Olympic size pool. Then I start imagining taking lessons. Could I really unlearn my poor habits and learn to breathe better? Could I improve enough to get out of the slow lane? With some help, I believed that I could.
I’ve had three lessons so far, and learned more than that. A practice in staying in beginner’s mind, I’m amazed our human ability both to remember and to forget. Somehow the body remembers my long-ago lessons, and I thanked my parents again for giving that to me all those summers in elementary school.
But then I need to forget. Forget the habits of poor form that have developed over the years. How do I breathe? What does it take to do that well, in and out of the water? My mind alone cannot figure that out, but in beginner mode I find more room for my body to find its way.
Let’s hear it for beginner’s mind and making new pathways.
