30 Days of Thanks Day 30 – The Pool Gang

I have never been a fan of exercise. This is partly because it is difficult for me to physically move my body, and exercise requires movement to be effective. It is also partly because I have never experienced the endorphin rush that is described by others who enjoy exercise. I don’t feel good when I exercise. I just feel fatigued and tired.

The only form of exercise I can do is aquatic therapy in a therapeutic pool. There are three accessible therapeutic pools in my area, and each one is at least a half hour drive from where I live. So, getting to the pool is a four hour commitment – 40 minutes to drive there, time to get undressed and transfer to a pool chair to go in, an hour in the pool, an hour to shower and get dressed, and 40 minutes to get back home. Add the fact that I need another person to accompany me for any of this to happen, and I don’t get to the pool that often.

Or rather, I didn’t get to the pool that often before May. But now that I am still trying to get stronger and recover from my femur fracture? I have become a regular at the Sunnyview Hospital therapeutic pool on Mondays and Wednesdays for the 7 AM open swim.

Today I give thanks for the other regulars at the pool. Jose, Chip, Dominick, Alberto, Susan, Tom, Sister Joan, Sue, The Doctor and his wife (I still don’t know their names after 6 months), Will, Debbie, and the others who sometimes cycle through welcomed me and my Personal Assistant Tina with open arms. They offer support and encouragement to everyone in the pool. When someone is absent, they worry. If someone has good news, they celebrate.

I still haven’t turned into a person who loves to exercise. But I look forward to spending time with my morning friends in the pool. The comraderie between us is positive and uplifting. As Tina put it when I read her a draft of this post driving to the pool this morning, it’s like we’re one big family.

Recovering from an illness or injury is difficult and requires determination and stamina. Having a peer support group keeps me focused. I know they will question me if I start to slack off. Last week when I walked for the first time while submerged in the pool they gave me kudos.

Thank you to my morning friends who greet me each Monday and Wednesday. I appreciate you welcoming me into the fold. There’s no better way to start the day.