Sept. 23, 2022 — Early Monday morning, after a workout, I went straight to Lake Michigan for a swim to cool off. I tried a new pathway through little shore dunes covered with white pines, bearberry and creeping juniper. There are a hundred of these pathways to the beach on Good Harbor Bay, and I am slowly learning each of them. On this day, I walked into a stiff breeze that made me second guess swimming instead of showering. But it is just nice being down here, I thought to myself.
It took some work, but I jumped into Lake Michigan and swam out deep in big waves that tossed me around like a deep-sea buoy. I dove deep underwater, and felt and heard the undertow, a dull noise of sand and pebbles at the bottom that were audibly swishing and bumping into each other. And the contrast of noisy splashes on the surface with the quietest and hollowest sounds on the bottom was like a symphony. And the beauty of it and the feel of the cool water and the uniquely Lake Michigan smell. It was all so perfect.
I headed back toward the shallows and caught a wave and rode it to shore. I swam back out to where the waves curled and rode another wave — and then one after another after another. As I pulled myself up near shore, I felt the pebbles bounce in the surf against my feet and hands. Then I stood on the beach and let the wind dry me. It wasn’t yet 9 a.m. I wondered as I walked back to my car if I should call this moment a great end to my weekend, or the terrific start to my work week.
As this week has unfolded, that swim I almost nixed has definitely made a positive difference to both parts of my week.
