beating the air.

A swan lifts from the water

Wings bat feverishly at the air

The body, heavy, resists

Weighing it down,

Creating drag.

Yet it fights

Believing it is destined to fly once more.

It is not glorious and graceful, as is its descent onto the water.

Dignity laid aside

Snow white plumes sullied in spray

It battles opposing currents to gain lift.

So is life.

If you wish to soar

You must first battle, undignified, unwieldly

Caring nought for the observer.

Those bound to the land do not understand

Lacking faith for the battle they look on

Surprised when finally you glide upward

Wings aching but heart swelling

Caught at last in the updraft.

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Small effort big pay back

Along with my resolution to just go ahead and do whatever strikes me (and stop procrastinating) I ventured down to the local swimming pool.
My lazy self was arguing all the way. “For God’s sake it’s January this is NOT the time to start swimming again!” Nonetheless, motivated by thoughts of several awful Christmas photos and the fact that my favourite coat is getting tight I stuffed towel and costume in my backpack and grabbed my bike.
The first two laps were tough, having to get my breath at either end (well it had been over a year!) Then it got easier. To my delight I managed my goal of ten laps before the session finished. More than that I felt great – warm, glowy and energized. In fact it felt so good I went back yesterday and added an extra lap to my total!
Sometimes I find that with my body, it really lets me know when it gets something it needed. The “happy feeling” continued the rest of the day and concluded in a good, deep night’s sleep. Sometimes that tiny push of effort makes all the difference!