By Johanna Bernhard
I am to water like a fish is to water. Without it I die.
Since I was a young girl, water has always appealed to me. It’s invigorating to feel the current of ocean waves grabbing at your legs and pulling you down, or diving into a swimming pool and being completely immersed in water. The way it makes your skin feel, or the sounds repeating in your ears, like listening to the inside of a shell. I can never stay away from water for too long.
During a day trip to Aquinnah last week, the waves were calling my name. As my friends sat on the beach, I eagerly headed toward the sea. It had been some time since I had last played in the ocean. In February I was in San Francisco. The weather wasn’t particularly warm but, being me, I couldn’t say no to the ocean. Leaving my shoes and socks and my friend on the shore, I ran for the sea. I waded in above my knees, until my clothes started getting wet.
It’s a peaceful place, the ocean.
I am baffled when people tell me they don’t like the water. I grew up in the water, from swimming training every week to competitions around the country, swimming was part of my childhood. Even during family vacations we made the most of the water sources around us.
It’s not just the salt water or the chlorine, I love the fresh stuff too. I drink litres of it everyday. I can sit in the bath for hours, without ever getting bored. It’s a great place to think.
If I had the power to breathe underwater, I would live in the ocean forever.
