We have a complicated relationship with water when we're not using it to bathe in or clean with. If water is offered as part of our recreation plans it gives us pause. It's one thing to sit by the pool or wade waist deep in the ocean, but a full immersion isn't on the top of many of our lists for a few reasons:
1.) Some sisters worry about what the water will do to their hair and sacrifice their enjoyment for the sake of beauty.
2.) A lot of us can't swim. We didn't learn because we grew up not wanting to get our hair wet, we had a secret phobia of the water or we weren't exposed to swimming as a form of recreation (sprinklers don't count).
When we're looking for a simple way to get our bodies moving we forget about swimming—which is especially good for those of us with knee and back issues. I started thinking about our issues with the water when I read the sports section of yesterday's New York Times. There, above the fold on the front, was a color photo of Lia Neal—who at 12 qualified for the U.S. Olympic trails doing the freestyle.
I always get excited when I see a young sister excelling in an area we aren't always seen. Think about Debbie Thomas and Suyra Bonaly on the ice and Domique Dawes on the balance beam? Each of them was fierce and fearless in their own way. We can be the same way and its never too late. The Harlem Honeys and Bears are some seniors who are staying active and having a good time while getting wet (harlemhoneysandbears.org)
So if you don't know how to swim, now is the time to learn. And if you know being in the water will keep you moving, invest in a bathing cap.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/07/sports/othersports/07swim.html?ex=1362632400&en=2b835fa6cdc2c7f2&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink
