There’s a specific intersection on the way home from work where I always change. My job requires me to be fairly aggressive, particularly during the last hour. When I leave, I first have to get safely out of the danger zone surrounding my workplace, and then navigate on high alert as I risk my life jockeying amongst Austin drivers. But once I hit the red light (it is always red) where I turn south for the last leg of my trip, I relax, lean my head against the side window, and allow myself to admit that I am very tired. But this evening, as the first droplets of self-pity began to drip, I got a huge smile on my face because I realized that I was tired from swimming.
The weather has turned stunningly beautiful in Austin. When I left home this morning, the fog was so thick (a rarity here) that I could barely see 50 feet in front of me. But it all burned off, and we were left with a cloudless sky and temperatures in the high 70s. Even better, thanks to all our recent rain, the wildflowers are all blooming, including the bluebonnets. So I organized myself to be able to sneak out of work for a couple of hours and swim. I was initially going to the Townlake Y, because it was closer, but when I stepped outside and realized how beautiful the day was I decided that I deserved to be swimming outside. Got in a good 2,000 yards (time to step it up a bit next swim) under the sun in Oakhill. And for the first time, the adjacent kiddie pool had people in it, although there were plenty of lanes available for lap swimming. I may have actually tanned my backside. But the most rewarding part of the whole day was to realize the difference in being tired at the end of a day of working for somebody else, and being tired because you’ve accomplished something for yourself.
My Name is SCHOOLS 