26th April 2021 - Tonic

It is 11:30AM on a Monday, so there are few people at the pond. Now that I know I can get to the pond, swim for 20 minutes, and be home within the hour, swimming at low times is possible. I fit this swim between meetings and it is the perfect decompression.

My eyes are soothed by 360 degree greenery. My body can flex and stretch, supported by the water. I am refreshed and invigorated by the cold, and enchanted by the beauty of this place. Spring is springing. Being here connects me to cycles and networks of life beyond the man-made environment of my flat and its surrounding streets. Ancient, reliable, untameable.

There are ducks of various kinds at the pond today: mallard, tufted, and mandarin. A Canada goose provokes conversation amongst the lifeguards.

Swimming amongst these wild creatures, slowly, is a tonic to my inbox focussed morning.