Adding back that which I gave up

All of my childhood, teen years and even during college I swam. Competitively for the majority but I also swam with the University of Arizona synchronized swim team for a short time and then stayed swimming through the Masters program.

Medical school, residency, motherhood, an all consuming professional life kept me away from keeping this perfect form of exercise in my life.

Randy also used to be a competitive swimmer. Our kids have been in swim classes because we love the sport, love it's health benefits and want our children to be safe around the water, especially now that we are in New Zealand and we go to the beach quite often.

Recently Randy and I returned to the pool to actually swim laps for the first time in many years.

Although I am in good shape and I exercise regularly, that didn't stop swimming from showing me just how much work my body needs. My arms, back, all over felt the freestyle, butterfly, backstroke and breaststroke that I was doing. Distances that used to be for easy warm up left me breathless.

Swimming is truly the most perfect exercise. I am so happy to get back in the pool and put this back into my routine.

My family has many musicians. My father was a member of a gospel band that toured Trinidad, cassette tapes and all. He sang and played base guitar. He still plays guitar to this day, at home for fun and with church choirs. My brother is a classically trained opera singer, one of my sisters was in the marching band playing flute and one of my sisters played piano. My uncle on my mothers side plays piano and sings etc. My instrument was my voice. I sang all throughout junior high and high school and even when I was earning two degrees in college, I sang with their music department pretty much every semester, doing concerts with them. When I left for medical school I had to give up so much of what brought balance and enjoyment to my life. I stopped salsa dancing, singing and swimming. While studying for my oral specialty board exams while caring for three young children and working full time, I kept telling myself that once that was over I would rejoin an adult community choir. It never happened. I was always too busy. Even when switching jobs, my advocacy work took priority over how I used my free time. Recently I finally joined a choir again and whenever we rehearse, it is 2 hours of absolute bliss. My brother encouraged me that I still had my Soprano 1 range, but it was not until I started singing again that I truly believed him. Feeling myself easily sing those notes while harmonizing with all of the other voices was downright euphoric.

Bit by bit I feel like I am piecing back together the scattered picture of who and what I am, and it feels great.

I am still plotting on ways to get back into Salsa dancing... Now that would be amazing!