I’ve been swimming almost everyday this summer here on Gabriola! There is something incredibly invigorating about diving in! Especially when the water is frigid as it was New Year’s Day for the Polar Bear swim! Love your reflections - as a child, I swam everyday in the chlorinated pool a 10 minute walk from our house. Now, I get to dive into the ocean every day. Heaven!
I grew up in Greece and this story really resonates with me. Now living in Portland, it’s become increasingly harder to find water I can swim in that gives me the same kind of salty healing the Mediterranean does. Thank you for your words
Water is so powerful! It makes me feel child like and alive and refreshed. Thanks for sharing! I’m inspired to write a post about my water memories now. May I and link back to this one?
I feel like we should know each other, especially after reading this post! The first post in my Substack was titled Minnesota Nice. I moved to the Washington DC area long ago to work for National Geographic, but never felt at home until I found a little townhouse on a lake. This is
a bit from a memoir I am writing: "Water and light are braided in my DNA. Light through water is proof of the divine. I want to be in it, under it, walking beside it. I run hot, and water cools me. I feel every hair on my body come to attention as I enter.
Loved reading this post. It’s almost Christmas and I just subscribed. Swimming is a huge love of mine. Water is a whole different environment. Ah, weightless.
You are an Oregon resident and I went to college in Ashland, Oregon, (Southern Oregon U) and loved that “Wild” had a chapter about Ashland. You captured it well.
Anyway, there is a hike-in-only, spring-fed, gorgeous lake near the Applegate called Squaw Lake. It’s beyond special (or it was back in the 90s.) No boats allowed. You would love it.
Water, no matter how well we can swim, is healing. Whether we are diving head first into our favorite childhood lake with our very best friends, or sitting alone while the ocean waves lap at our feet and pull the sand from beneath our toes. Perhaps it is love, grief, and wonder. Admiration of water's ability to exist and just be that brings us comfort and inspires the fondest memories to emerge from the corners of our minds. To drink and nourish, float and flourish. I can practically feel it now.
I am from Portugal and swimming is one of my favourite things. Although I live near the coast, a ten minute walk to the beach, every summer I go to the river beaches near the mountains. I love to do a backstroke watching the tops of the trees above me.
Thank you, Cheryl. Memories rush back to swimming in Bush Lake, the closest one to our home in Bloomington, Minnesota. My brother once found a dead catfish floating on the lake, and when I reached out to touch it, he slapped at me, and one of its spines went into my hand. I got blood poisoning from that and nearly died.
In winter, I would walk on top of Penn Lake on my way to junior high. Once I tried to cross too early in the season, and the cracking ice sent me scurrying back to the shore.
My kids growing up in Portland also had to learn to swim in chlorinated water.
I grew up on a farm with a beautiful creek that ran through it, so I also spent long summers in the water. Many years later I loved back to the area to raise my children, and had the joy of rediscovering a different part of the same river, the thrill of diving in, the sloughing off of the day with all of its little angsts, the pure restoration of a freshwater creek.
Your description of the water and swimming as a kid brought me back to childhood, when I lived in the water all summer! As an adult, I somehow became a huge wimp if the water wasn't the temp of a bath. I'm doing better - making myself plunge in the lake with my daughter during these summer months of New Hampshire. So invigorating!
Hello again - I’m the lady who moved to Portland a little over a year ago and you introduced me to Suzy Vitello. (Thank you. 🙏🏼) Of note for swimming: I just discovered Dougan Falls on the Washougal River Road. That road seemed like a reliable place to find something beautiful and relatively easy and not far from the city (and surrounded by wineries.) But I hear you that it’s nothing like living near 10,000 lakes! When we lived in Austin, it was so easy to find a watering hole and easy to jump in. I miss that, too. I miss my soppy-ass swimsuit and my crazy river hair.
I bet your friend Yuknavitch knows some sweet swimming spots around here. 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼 🏊🏻
I’ve been swimming almost everyday this summer here on Gabriola! There is something incredibly invigorating about diving in! Especially when the water is frigid as it was New Year’s Day for the Polar Bear swim! Love your reflections - as a child, I swam everyday in the chlorinated pool a 10 minute walk from our house. Now, I get to dive into the ocean every day. Heaven!
I grew up in Greece and this story really resonates with me. Now living in Portland, it’s become increasingly harder to find water I can swim in that gives me the same kind of salty healing the Mediterranean does. Thank you for your words
Water is so powerful! It makes me feel child like and alive and refreshed. Thanks for sharing! I’m inspired to write a post about my water memories now. May I and link back to this one?
I felt like I was swimming beside you. Lovely writing.
I feel like we should know each other, especially after reading this post! The first post in my Substack was titled Minnesota Nice. I moved to the Washington DC area long ago to work for National Geographic, but never felt at home until I found a little townhouse on a lake. This is
a bit from a memoir I am writing: "Water and light are braided in my DNA. Light through water is proof of the divine. I want to be in it, under it, walking beside it. I run hot, and water cools me. I feel every hair on my body come to attention as I enter.
Loved reading this post. It’s almost Christmas and I just subscribed. Swimming is a huge love of mine. Water is a whole different environment. Ah, weightless.
You are an Oregon resident and I went to college in Ashland, Oregon, (Southern Oregon U) and loved that “Wild” had a chapter about Ashland. You captured it well.
Anyway, there is a hike-in-only, spring-fed, gorgeous lake near the Applegate called Squaw Lake. It’s beyond special (or it was back in the 90s.) No boats allowed. You would love it.
Water, no matter how well we can swim, is healing. Whether we are diving head first into our favorite childhood lake with our very best friends, or sitting alone while the ocean waves lap at our feet and pull the sand from beneath our toes. Perhaps it is love, grief, and wonder. Admiration of water's ability to exist and just be that brings us comfort and inspires the fondest memories to emerge from the corners of our minds. To drink and nourish, float and flourish. I can practically feel it now.
I am from Portugal and swimming is one of my favourite things. Although I live near the coast, a ten minute walk to the beach, every summer I go to the river beaches near the mountains. I love to do a backstroke watching the tops of the trees above me.
Thank you, Cheryl. Memories rush back to swimming in Bush Lake, the closest one to our home in Bloomington, Minnesota. My brother once found a dead catfish floating on the lake, and when I reached out to touch it, he slapped at me, and one of its spines went into my hand. I got blood poisoning from that and nearly died.
In winter, I would walk on top of Penn Lake on my way to junior high. Once I tried to cross too early in the season, and the cracking ice sent me scurrying back to the shore.
My kids growing up in Portland also had to learn to swim in chlorinated water.
Thanks for writing with I feel about swimming!
I grew up on a farm with a beautiful creek that ran through it, so I also spent long summers in the water. Many years later I loved back to the area to raise my children, and had the joy of rediscovering a different part of the same river, the thrill of diving in, the sloughing off of the day with all of its little angsts, the pure restoration of a freshwater creek.
Your description of the water and swimming as a kid brought me back to childhood, when I lived in the water all summer! As an adult, I somehow became a huge wimp if the water wasn't the temp of a bath. I'm doing better - making myself plunge in the lake with my daughter during these summer months of New Hampshire. So invigorating!
Empty Nesters! How has time gone so quickly?!?
Cheryl, HUGE FAN. Wild inspired me to write my memoir. Glad you’re here and look forward to reading EVERYTHING you share.
Hello again - I’m the lady who moved to Portland a little over a year ago and you introduced me to Suzy Vitello. (Thank you. 🙏🏼) Of note for swimming: I just discovered Dougan Falls on the Washougal River Road. That road seemed like a reliable place to find something beautiful and relatively easy and not far from the city (and surrounded by wineries.) But I hear you that it’s nothing like living near 10,000 lakes! When we lived in Austin, it was so easy to find a watering hole and easy to jump in. I miss that, too. I miss my soppy-ass swimsuit and my crazy river hair.
I bet your friend Yuknavitch knows some sweet swimming spots around here. 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼 🏊🏻
Swimming is the very best thing there is. I love when people discover or rediscover this.