My Supersuit!

I have often dreaded the ubiquitous swimsuit.  I have despised shopping for them, wearing them, putting them on, realizing I have to go to the bathroom while in one and the challenge that brings, seeing other people look good in theirs, washing them, drying them, thinking about my body parts that will be exposed while wearing one and shaving/lotioning/covering up accordingly.

This is a challenge because I love to swim.  I don't know at what point in my life the swimsuit became such work and stress.  I'm pretty sure that when I was young, my mom would pull out my swimsuit and I would jump for joy and boy, I couldn't get that thing on fast enough!  Because that meant that it was time to swim.  I loved going to the pool with my cousins and sisters.  We would play so many games and wouldn't stop until it was time to refuel with lunch or our mothers would drag us out because our lips were blue.  My grandparent's house in Massachusetts had it all.  The pool WITH the diving board.  The shallow AND the deep end.  Victory was rewarded each summer to whomever could get the penny in the deep end and to whomever had the best, most stylish jump off the diving board.  We played Marco Polo, went 'skiing' off the deep end slopes, had jumping competitions, had a mascot in a little boat that we called Baby Georgina...it never ended.  We never got bored in that pool.

I believe I was in seventh grade when I attended a pool party at a friend's house and I decided that I needed to wear a t-shirt over my swimsuit.  Why?  Because I didn't want everyone to see me so exposed as in a swimsuit.  A chaperon called me out and made me take off the t-shirt in front of everyone.  Now, I don't think anyone made fun of me when I took off that shirt (maybe they did...I don't remember thankfully), but I was exposed and embarrassed.  Isn't it amazing how quickly my favorite thing to wear in the whole world became my least favorite?  All because of my own self hating?  For years after seventh grade, I danced around whether or not I was going to be seen in a swimsuit.  I became so self conscious that I stopped engaging in my favorite activity.

A few times in my adulthood was I able to reconnect to my love.  Once in college when I took a Swimnastics class for credit and once in my mid to late 20's when I joined a gym to take their water aerobics class.  But eventually I graduated college and I lost interest in the class at the gym.  I started to make excuses like, "Well, I don't want to get wet."  "It takes too long to get there and get into my suit after work."  Etc.

While at GM, we were asked to think of an activity that we loved doing as a child.  Mine was easy to come up with: Playing in the pool.  So while at GM, I tried to go to most of the Aquatics classes and I found my love of the pool once again.  And it was down right rude to feel self conscious in my suit there, because everyone at GM felt the same way and if I was to verbalize my self doubt, it would trickle among the group and the next thing you know, no one is swimming.  One person's self doubt can lead others to think everyone else is judging them as well.

When I returned to Denver and found my aquatics class that I attend every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, I really tapped into that love of the pool that my inner child has been begging to feel again.  I love it so much that I can't wait to get on my swimsuit once again!  I now call it my supersuit because of how strong I feel when I am in it.  My arms and legs and core are so strong in the pool that I sometimes feel like I am flying.  My heart beats fast, but my breath remains calm in a way it cannot do on land.  When my muscles ache, I know I can just let go and relax and let my body float until my muscles recover and are ready for more.

I actually feel like a different person in my supersuit.  I feel thinner, happier, stronger, lighter, amazing.  And you know what else is exciting?  My supersuit seems to be getting a little too big these days...I look forward to buying my next one in the near future.  Do you think I can get mine with a cape?