LEARNING TO SWIM involves learning to stay calm in an uncomfortable environment. First, there’s the task of breathing; breathing is a task now. Exhale while changing directions, somersaulting; inhale through mouth angled just above water’s surface. Keep head and hips aligned, conjoined, your spine rigid, a rod; hips ought not to sink. It’s a lot to keep track of: breathing, not sinking. The effect, like that of meditation, is more synchronicity between awareness of one’s mind and awareness of one’s body. More attention paid to staying alive, less attention reserved for pettier anxieties.
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