Red's Wrap
Happiness. It's relative.
Tag: swimming
We Know When to Quit
We didn’t press on. We turned back. It was the wise thing to do. Even if we had to turn our truck around on a narrow dirt logging road with shoulders made of deep soft sand. I had to get out of the truck… Continue Reading “We Know When to Quit”
Pool Girls
Yesterday, at our weekly swim date at the local county-run pool, my friend announced that she’d forgotten her swimming suit. She rifled through her backpack a second and third time, took out all the assorted bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and lotion, found her goggles… Continue Reading “Pool Girls”
I Swam
Down the beach, I see our neighbor swimmingHis gray head bobbing in the gentle wavesWhile he talks to his wife on the beachShe is collecting rocks, looking for agates, studying Then they switch, he comes on shore and she wades inI watch her in… Continue Reading “I Swam”
Now I Know
A few years ago, we took our granddaughter camping. It rained all night, thundered with lightening strikes, and in the morning everything was soaked but the day was bright and clear. We went hiking up a trail to a lookout where we could see… Continue Reading “Now I Know”
Gifted
I had resolved to be spare, to be modest in my wants, to be basic in a place of indulgence. But one thing I wanted with all my heart on this odd cruise to Cozumel with an old friend was to swim in the… Continue Reading “Gifted”
Why I Swim in Lake Superior
Lake Superior is very cold. Today, the surface temperature of the lake in front of our house in Grand Marais, Michigan, was between 54 and 56 degrees according to the Great Lakes Coastal Forecasting System. By the end of August, the water will be… Continue Reading “Why I Swim in Lake Superior”
Water Lily
The afternoon light is so bright through the windows that the bottom of the pool is awash in sunshine. In the lane next to me, a beautiful Chinese woman in a swim cap and black racing suit with orange flames does a long swanlike… Continue Reading “Water Lily”
Walking with Scout
Tonight after Master’s swimming practice at a local high school, my friend and I walked down the street to my car. It was dark with only the light from the streetlamps, leaves covered the sidewalk so there was that scuffing sound walking through them.… Continue Reading “Walking with Scout”
Stay in Your Lane
The entire trajectory of my life would have been different had I been able to do a Catalina when I was in [Synchronized] Swim Club at Southfield High School. Not many people can put their finger on their personal critical juncture or in my… Continue Reading “Stay in Your Lane”
Oh God.
What has happened to me? How has the gap between my self-perception and the funhouse reality of the fitting room become so unfathomably large? It is now time like every other female blogger who has ever lived to write about bathing suit shopping. Let… Continue Reading “Oh God.”
Snow Door | wisconsinacademy.org
Listen to Jan read her essay “Billy” presented on WUWM’s Lake Effect
Jan’s essay “At the Breakfast Bar” on WUWM Lake Effect
Jan’s essay “The Parish Hall,” on WUWM Lake Effect
“Fury Cannot Touch Me,” Modern Love, NYT, 9/29/11
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