Even though I like swimming and I like the exercise and the stretching and all that, it is not the real reason I go. It’s for the hot shower afterwards. And it’s not even the hot shower; it’s the physical thing that happens to my body. It releases a long deep sigh. It creeps up on me, and as I exhale all the stress, tension, negative energy, whatever you want to call it, gets released. Sometimes the sigh has a slight musicality to it; I hit quite a high note. And then I’m ready to return to society and face the bullshit. I feel relaxed, and this feeling of well being can last for the rest of the day. The only issue is sometimes I can feel a tad too relaxed – a bit sleepy even, and the need to get stuff done is lessened. The newfound mellowness can make you a little bit unproductive.
