The Turtle Swims Again

Today for the first time I swam.

I'd been swimming for a few brief moments before and after therapy in the therapy pool but it was few and far between. Again I am eternally grateful to my mother; she signed up for a gym with an amazing pool system and now I am able to swim free without constraint.

They actually have three pools. They use a mixture of chlorine and salt water, reducing the amount of chemicals they have to use. The salt water also makes for an amazing swimming experience. They have three areas: a lap swim pool kept at normal pool temp, a therapy pool kept at 96 degrees, and a hot tub which is to say the least really hot. They also have an outdoor pool area which they are in the process of opening up. This has several areas and a water slide. I would give almost anything to go on the water slide, but with a flight of stairs it is not handicap accessible (I guess they figure if you're handicapped, you have no business going down a water slide).

I swam in the therapy pool and had an amazing time. Not limited by my leg in the least, I swam many laps back and forth. It did sort of drag in the water like a log, but my right leg more than made up for it. Instead of being limited, I was light as a feather, swimming through the water with a grace I never managed on land (even with two legs). I felt strong, I felt nearly whole again, and I forgot that I had ever doubted my abilities.