25 May 2022
I am sleeping, dreaming, wrapped in a clingy wine colored blanket that twists and tightens around my feet and legs when I try kick free of it.
Suddenly I am swimming in the blood warm MN/SD boundary waters of Big Stone Lake. It is late summer, the “sea” weeds are in full bloom and a thick, bubbly, green algae scum lies on the lake’s surface.
I am swimming through a broad, submerged patch of these weeds, when long slimy stems catch and wrap around my feet and legs. I kick hard to break free but the stems hold tighter and threaten to drag me under water. Panic rises in me; I am certain the weeds will drown me.
Then in my dream, I remember: I am a trained swimmer! Calming my mind, I roll on my back, forcing myself to relax. Shallow, even breaths keep my lungs inflated so I float easily. Slowing my movements, my feet are still, toes pointing straight as if I were on tiptoe.
Arms akimbo, I scull my hands like propellers, pushing water gently away from me. Slowly, my body begins to glide through the water. My feet and legs slide free of the grasping, tickling weeds below me.
When next I encounter such a weed patch, it will not frighten me. I now know how to safely swim in the weeds.
Such is my life. If I remain calm while swimming in life’s waters, mindfully breathing in, breathing out,resisting the temptation to flail in terror against what threatens to overwhelm me, it is possible to float free of many of life’s perils.
You are such a gifted writer Linda! This puts my mind right back to swimming in the various Minnesota lakes, rivers and sloughs! 💕