7 Great Quotes from Swim: Why We Love the Water

In addition to being a swimmer, I consider myself a committed bibliophile.  And it's a dead giveaway when I'm really enjoying a book, because I will often miss my stop on the bus or the train.  In the case of Lynn Sherr's Swim: Why Love the Water, I actually rode the bus two extra stops before realizing I had overshot my office during my morning commute!

Sherr, best known for her 30 year career as a newswoman at ABC, is also a committed swimmer, and Swim: Why We Love the Water interweaves her personal story of preparing for and swimming the Hellespont, the history of swimming, and insights into the science, training, and advocacy going on in swimming today.

Swimming the Hellespont features significantly in Sherr's book.

As I read Sherr's book, I actually felt a bit like she might be the (unbeknownst to both of us) godmother of this blog!

There were two things I enjoyed most about Sherr's book.  The first was her excellent research and storytelling about the history of swimming which went from Greek mythology until the modern day. The second was her uncanny ability to capture others' and share her own meditations on swimming. Here are seven of my favorites:

1. On swimming as a form of salvation...
Swimming is my salvation. Ask me in the middle of winter, or at the end of a grueling day, or after a long stretch at the computer, where I'd most like to be, and the answer is always the same: in the water, gliding weightless, slicing a silent trail through whatever patch of blue I can find.

2. On swimming as an inward journey...
Swimming stretches my body beyond its earthly limits, helping to soothe every ache and caress every muscle. But it's also an inward journey, a time of quiet contemplation, when, encased in an element at once hostile and familiar, I find myself at peace, able -- and eager -- to flex my mind, imagine new possibilities, to work things out without the startling interruptions of human voice or modern life.  The silence is stunning.  

3. On how swimming creates focus, order...
The lane line keeps us centered in more ways than one.  The rhythm of our strokes brings order to our senses.

4. On swimmers...
Swimmers are hale, not disease-proof, hardy, not ageless. 

5. On swimming and self-sufficiency...
Swimming is the ultimate on-your-own activity.  Everyone else gets stuff to make it easier: skis, bats, wheels, sticks, gloves, racquets, slick shoes.  Even teammates to help reach the goal. Not us.  An equipment malfunction in swimming means some part of your body has broken down.

6. The definition of swimming...
"The definition of swimming," according to one nineteenth century instructor, is "to keep yourself afloat and make progress."

7. On swimming and sensory deprivation...
"When you swim, you're taking away one of your senses, your hearing," he says. "So it leaves you the peace of your mind, the cadence of your swim."

Have you read Swim: Why We Love the Water or another book on swimming?  I'd love to hear your reviews and recommendations of swimming-related books!   Email me or tweet me with the hashtag #swimbooks.