Elemental

Breathing is elemental to swimming the way the line is the core of drawing. The elemental never gets old. It's the touchstone we return to and build upon.

Flour, water, yeast, and salt becomes bread. I never tire of the miracle. 

Walking is a lot like writing. One step, one word. When I was growing up there was a man in our neighborhood who could be seen walking everywhere. The kids all knew; he's a writer.

Sometimes I walk to just live in my eyes. I call it poetry for the eyes, and oxygen for the brain. A rest from words. I especially like to walk through the city where my eyes can absorb evidence of life; color, motion, activity, and drama.

I swim to clean out my brain and be in the moment. You almost have to be in the moment when swimming. Water on your skin wakes you up just like a shower does.

I try to be in the present. It's a practice and a challenge.