City of Light. 

After a week of love, connection and deep joy as we shared my little brother's wedding day with him, the kiddos and I are now spending some time in Paris. So beautiful here! 

Water

I don't have any images of the water I swam in this weekend. I didn't take any photos of my travels.

I just want to remember how it was to swim in such a huge lake like that... the warm early morning air... the feeling of just wanting water on my skin...(I thought for a moment, second guessing how cold I was going to be if I went skinny dipping without a towel, how I would have to sit and dry a little... who else would be around to see... )

But then.... how easy it was to simply take off my clothes and leave them on the steps that led to the dock... and then just slip into that beautiful lake and start swimming.

I swam out into the open water. Quick, strong strokes, keeping my head above water though, since I could feel how strong the current was, and how icy the water felt to my naked body... I didn't want to reach past my own ability to be out so far... I wanted to see how far out I was!

Then just floating... letting the current take me a little... then swimming into the current- feeling my freestyle stroke meet the resistance of the current... feeling the tiny waves take my floating self...

I felt so woken up and alive. It was cold, and I could feel that all over, but I knew that I was OK in the cold water, it was safe enough to be enlivening and not hypothermia inducing. I felt strong, and free.

I miss living near water I can swim in so much. I know that I need more of this in my life, more open water, more experiences like this to feel so connected with this particular element in this way.

I feel so grateful for the experience of this.