Before my aneurysm, I went to water aerobics and swam laps in this pool. I was very purposeful – get in, get the exercise, get a shoulder massage from the whirlpool, get out.
It was only when I began to use the pool more slowly – in the open area outside the lap lanes – that I really noticed how beautiful the reflections are on the water in late afternoon.
As I walk, dance or stroke my way, I watch the reflections stroll, ballet and fiddle their way in front of me.
Sometimes it is as though I’m surrounded by whales in the shadows. Friendly whales who want to escort me.
Other days there are spirits enacting their own dramas. I’m not always allowed to watch; they run away.
When I watch them, I am free.
Today’s penny is a 2015, for the year I learned to slow down.