February 20, 2022

Twelve starfish

My one and only swim of February, and yesterday I counted twelve

My wetsuit was tight, tighter than before

My lungs heaved a bit

But Dave waited for me

And we swam under sunshine

“The water is the coldest it will be all year, but it’s going to start warming up.”

I don’t know if these words were a promise or a dare, but either way it worked.

I took a 1/2 mile swim —it took me a full month to get back in.

Oh, yeah, my new job could be to blame

Hours spent with little people, just out of diapers, learning to take turns, learning empathy, learning how to hold scissors and paint penguin feathers

I never dreamed I’d be here now, teaching preschool again but never did I imagine I’d become an open water swimmer amidst a pandemic either

And both feel really good

The swim felt so familiar, even as my tired muscles relearned how to churn through cold water and I stared at speckled rocks while seagulls soared overhead and sunlight broke through the salty waves casting golden light over young starfish

Twelve starfish, purple and orange

The first one I spotted was a mango orange

The sight of it took my breath away, just as my heart burst the first day of Montessori preschool in early January when I got my first hug, minutes into my first day

By the end of the first day I received twelve hugs or so at least

Small hands and happy squinty eyes peeking over cotton masks, welcoming me, embracing me, accepting me into their world of little tables and little aprons and little works, new stars in this brand new galaxy

Magical and full of hope, flooding me with hope for our planet, our future, just like those twelve February starfish

Oh! You were all here all along! How did I not see you?

Thank you, thank you for appearing here before me. I have so much to learn from all of you.

And thank you blessed sea, for granting me a swim in your cool waters.

I was here all along too.