I’m reading ‘Teaching a Stone to Talk’ by Annie Dillard. She has an extraordinary perspective which includes some direct observations about living, including: “We are here on the planet only once, and we might as well get a feel for the place.” For her, it’s not about the spectacular, but about seeing “what is there” (p.74).
I’ve found I can see what is there in lake little Norrsjön by swimming. I don’t know about you, but I was taught to swim in straight lines. While I’ve since splashed out into lakes and seas, it’s never struck me before that swimming can be a form of exploration: slow motion, but motion nonetheless. I had this realisation during my second swim, when I went a little further than the first, finding a sandbank and river-mouth.
On the third swim I found the route via the river, which feeds both lakes, to the larger lake, but the strong current deterred me from making the full journey. Perhaps if the water levels, high after recent record rainfall, drop, then I’ll go further. Perhaps tomorrow I’ll strike out in a different direction altogether.
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