I found swimming at a pivotal time in my life. Working as a burnt out registered nurse, numb, basically living on auto pilot and having completely lost myself. I was not in a happy place and was depressed. I started by walking laps in the pool, then built up to doing laps with breaststroke, then alternated between breaststroke and freestyle to build my fitness. It was so hard at first, one 25 meter lap of freestyle was exhausting, but I kept at it and in process, I found my way back to myself. Everything changed! I made the decision to leave nursing, as it was no longer good for me. I gave myself time to heal and re-build and swimming was my go to when things felt too hard. Swimming became more than exercise, it put me into a meditative state- the steady rhythm of my breath and repetitiveness of the stroke. The water quieted everything else- noise, thoughts, expectations, and left me alone with mysel. It gave me access to a stillness I couldn’t find anywhere else and something spiritual surfaced- a gentle remembering of a part of myself I’d forgotten. So taking part in laps for life is very close to my heart and I’m so excited to raise funds for a great cause.