Swimmer

I often find myself saying, " I was a competitive swimmer."
Was
The was kills me a each time I say it.

Ever since I can remember I have been a swimmer.
I remember sitting on the edge of many cold pools during my younger years for my weekly swim lessons. Although my mom pulled me out of those swim lessons because I spent most of my time sitting on the edge of the pool instead of, well, actually swimming. She decided she could teach me better herself and thus began my swimming life.
Shortly after I was pulled out of my swim lessons, I began swimming in the lap lane with my mom. But only  until I was old enough to join a swim team, which was at the age of 7.
When I finally joined a swim team, Tacoma Swim Club, I spent my weekdays from 5 to 6:30 swimming laps, and my weekends at swim meets.

A lot of my childhood was spent swimming or at swim meets.
And a lot of the habits I have today were developed by spending so much time at pools.
For instance, I love of cup- o- noodles, poppy seed muffins and doughnuts because of swim meets.
I grew up with a constantly having EHLS embedded on my arm in Sharpie.
My love for the Olympics is because of swimming.
The reason why I roll papers into cones sometimes is because I'm so used to rolling heat sheets so that they would fit in the pocket of my swim parka or in the cup holder of a folding camping chair.

But the thing is, I really didn't enjoy attending swim practice.
So I quit swimming.
Sometime around middle school I think.
I don't regret it. But I'm not proud of it.

But I never stayed away from the pool.
I even teach swimming lessons now, and have for three years.
And luckily I have a pool available to me here in Thailand.
See my host dad bought one condo unit at the condo near my house here. This condo has an outdoor infinity pool around 25 meters long.
And I can use it whenever I want.

It's really nice being back in the pool. And sometimes, while swimming, I think to myself, "Why do I like swimming so much?"
The truth is I have absolutely no idea.
But swimming does have it's advantages.
And my mom often pointed out one advantage to my sister and I when we were little.
"Swimmers can eat whatever they want."

Book: Well I started and finished Looking For Alaska by John Green which was amazing. On page 26 of TCV and page 66 of The Hundred-Year-Old Man who Climbed out of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson. This book was originally published in Swedish but now is an International Best Seller and it's really quirky and funny. It's kind of neat knowing that I know contribute to books being International Best Sellers, I mean not that I wan't before, but I'm now doing it in a different way.
Thai: swim......................................waai-narm