Looking Through The Window

There couldn't have been more of a contrast as I sat watching Chips swim tonight.

Outside it was dark. I sat opposite the big window which overlooks the park. The sky was black,with a few grey clouds scurrying across it. A street light lit up a tiny part of the park. It was cold out there and silent and empty.

Inside it was warm,toasty warm,probably edging on being too warm. The lights were bright and bright colours were everywhere....bright yellow swimming hats on children that bobbed up and down constantly,bright orange floats held behind the children's shoulders as they practised the backstroke and the bright blue of the pool. The whole building was alive with movement and chatter and splashes.

Two very different views and for half an hour I was gazing at both of them.

Inside the swimming baths Chips was doing really well with his swimming. I think back stroke is probably his best stroke. His whole body seems to be so straight these days and he moves through the water with ease.

It was a bit chaotic in the pool tonight. Lots of children. They seemed to be slightly distracted and to be honest they couldn't even fit along the side of the pool they were swimming towards. This led to them bunching up and spreading out from the side of the pool towards the middle.

I couldn't have asked more from Chips though,he swam beautifully and listened well.

And as always I sat beautifully and watched and listened too! 

It's always a pleasure to watch Chips swim. To be honest I like to watch all the children swim. If you look carefully you can see them slowly getting stronger,that little bit more streamlined,their confidence grows as does their ability and I like to watch them become swimmers. 

I believe in swimming. To me it's a life skill. It can save your life. That in itself makes it invaluable. It is also fun and a good form of exercise. The water itself is a safe place for children to experiment with their bodies. They can push themselves to extremes,as Chips did here and the water will hold them up. In water,they don't fall and bump,it supports them. Now Chips has mastered the basic mechanics of swimming I feel that the water is our friend,so I embrace these once a week swim sessions with open arms and sit and watch the dynamics of the swim class...it's pretty interesting stuff!

And every so often I glance through the window and look at the dark shadowy park. Two very different places for me to ponder and reflect upon.