Today, I tossed off the snow from my car and made the
30 mile round trip to my 'local' swimming pool. Yes, gone are
the days when I was always 2 miles from a swimming pool. And yes, you
read right...flippin' 30 mile round trip! How is that
'local'?! Well, its rural Scotland, so yeah, you do need to drive to get
to most municipal buildings.
Anyway, determined to have my dip, I arrived on time (for a change) and quickly
donning my swimsuit, cap and goggles, I climbed into a surprisingly warm
pool. It was the 'lunchtime' session filled mainly with elderly women and
one man.
Following lane etiquette (although no lanes were marked off), I chose a line
down the pool that wasn't obstructing anyone else; a few ladies were chatting
at the far end, but the rest of the pool was pretty clear. However, after
two lengths, I discovered that I was in someone else's 'line' and she wasn't
going to move despite me starting my length before hers.
I want an easy life. I didn't realise I had taken her 'line' and
following lane etiquette, I swam out of her way. But then we met head on again!
After another few lengths and standing at one end of the pool to catch my
breath, I realised that I didn't have to move out of anyone's way if I couldn't
see them. And so, I turned my back to the pool and
waited, knowing that she was heading in my direction. The
result was that she had to move and finish her length beside me. Standing
beside me, 'Queen of the Lanes' glared at me; I felt like I was on the
receiving end of one of Paddington's uncomfortable hard stares. I
gave her a huge smile and a little wave. I heard the one man in the
pool chuckle.
In a huff, she set off for another length however, she didn't bank on me
beating her to the other end of the pool. I couldn't have been that unfit
after all.
I had a nice chat in the changing room with the regulars and with the hair
drier being used by another lady, I pulled my coat hood up over my wet hair and
returned to my car in the freezing cold weather outside. The snow had all
but disappeared.
Sheep lesson for the day. Be nice to each other whilst
swimming. Keep your head up even though there are wolves around you (but not
whilst doing the front crawl). Whilst we all need space to swim, that
space can be wiggly or curved; it doesn't always have to be dead straight to
get where we want to be.
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