This Simple Shift in My Routine Let Me Truly Live More
Rediscovering joy in old passions
On a bright summer day, surrounded by splashing and children’s laughter, I wondered: Could I experience this pool in a new way?
Ever since I was a kid, swimming was like breathing to me.
I have these vivid memories of waking up at 5 am, the sunrise painted in the same colors as my breakfast juice. By the time the season ended, this familiar smell of hot cups of packet soup told us it was time to end the swim season for the year.
My childhood bedroom walls were adorned with medals and certificates. While they made me happy with pride, they were also reminders of the silent pressure always to be the best. Deep down, there was this itch, a little voice asking if I could enjoy the feel of water without turning it into a race every time.
I wondered: What if swimming was more about fun and less about the stopwatch?
Back then, I dreamt of a swim where joy was the prize, not a medal. The lanes, the rules, and the continuous races had started to feel heavy, like dragging chains. Every stroke made me long for freedom, for a moment where I could be in the water without any boundaries. The pressure still remained.
