Catharsis on a Saturday

In an effort to celebrate my survival of Dead Week I decided to join some recently acquired friends on a trip to the beach on Saturday. The situation was less than ideal but I had a solid ride to and from the beach so, with a ten ounce bottle of SPF 50 and the stipulation of a nasty study session before bed, I made my way to Sauvie Island, Oregon.

I am writing because I want to remember a particular part of that day- the water. Our beach was all sand with a fairly strong wind, and a level grade into the green waters of the Clackamas river. The water was cold enough to urge my toes out of the damp sand so I knew right away that swimming would be a process. I love love LOVE to swim so this was not an option for me: I was at the beach- I was going to swim.

The temperature of the water rendered my inner tube a necessity so I took the liberty of inflating it and securing it around my waist before setting out to the water. Once I established the severity of the temperature I knew better than to slow down and so I plunged into the frigid river with a yelp. It took a whole three seconds for my lungs to constrict and I floated there for a second- face upturned searching for air and sunshine, legs groping for sand- and it was a beautiful moment.

The sunshine licked my upper torso with a tenderness unknown to mankind and my face greeted it with equal devotion. Upon my discovery of deeper water, my legs stretched down with all of their might and contented themselves to hanging from the inner tube. Simultaneously the bone jarring chill of the water threatened to squeeze every bit of oxygen from my lungs and I was struck with the realization that this suffocation was conditional. Yes the cold was taking a physical toll on my diaphragm but I knew that by focusing my thoughts and concentrating I could regain a steady breath rate.

The knowledge of this discovery floated with me along the surface of the river as I battled to reconcile the reflex of my body with the logic of my mind and I found myself hoping that I could stay here. Right here, with the sunshine to dry my tears and the icy water squeezing all of the thoughts out of me. Here with no care other than to find my next breath, lost and found within the current of the river. No breath, no gravity, no people, no thoughts- here my soul was at peace. Just as quickly as it began the moment passed and I prepared myself for the buzz of life that would greet me on shore.

We had a pleasant afternoon; tossed around a Frisbee, got a tan (or in my case reapplied sunscreen) and we even had an impromptu jam session. At the end of the day we piled into the car and made our way back to our respective colleges. I enjoyed spending time off campus and the sunshine was great, but my favorite part was the water.