After today's swim, my friend John inquired, "Why do you like the deep end?" He had witnessed me gradually shift lanes from the shallower side of the pool until I was finally settled in the deepest lane possible.
I thought about it for awhile. I don't like my feet touching the bottom of the pool- something about being so close to the center black line makes me feel claustrophobic. I've spent half of my life in the shallow end (literally and metaphorically-speaking), that now I crave deeper things. Things that really matter. I cringe at how much time I've wasted having shallow conversations, reading shallow Facebook updates, maintaining superficial and shallow friendships. So much of life is already lacking depth. My pool lane should not be one of them.
The quote that first came to mind was from Henry David Thoreau- "I love a wide margin to my life." I realized, like Thoreau, that space and silence are essential for contemplation, for evaluation, for self-actualization. The deep water feels more vast. I love how I can flutter kick and dolphin dive and my feet never reach the bottom of the pool.
I love all things deep-
Deep conversations.
Deep breaths.
Deep questions.
I love the mystery and the adventure and the truth that has yet to be explored. And just when you think you've arrived, you realize there is still more to discover. Here's to swimming in the vastness and depth of the human experience, one stroke at a time. Here's to a lifetime where our feet never ever touch the bottom.