Alright here's the deal: you find yourself on a sunny rock sitting beside Mason Lake. The initial grouchiness of the morning has burned off along with the fog. Hiking up was perfect. The two Oregonians banter on dating, hiking and how to live life. The two non-Oregonians dawdle, leaving opportunities to take in the mountain and hop from boulder to boulder.

And you sit there. On your rock. Looking at the lake, enjoying the sun and deflecting the eager requests to swim. Tranquil. Deep and complete tranquility. 

Across the lake, a group of the youth are dipping in and out of the cold water. The yelps of shock and surprise carry across the lake. You - and everyone else - notice the tall, leggy blond one with the black bikini. She gets in the water slowly - deliberately.

And then starts swimming. Long strokes, pulling the water around her. Ten feet from the shore. Twenty. Then in the middle of the lake, on the way to cross it. 

You think on this. If this lithe youngin' can endure the lake - you can. Maybe, just maybe, there is an opportunity for a conversation here somewhere. And what better place to talk than the middle of a cold cold lake? 

You slip in. The water is cold and your breath comes fast and sharp. You put the phrase "control your breath, control your mind" on repeat. Slowly it becomes comfortable. You swim in circles trying to make it not too obvious what you are trying to do. 

On her way back, she passes you.

"Hey! Water's pretty cold! It's impressive what you are doing!"
"Yep"

You exit the lake euphoric. You've swam far longer and farther than you have before in cold water. A victory over self. 

---

Everything feels alright. I'm looking to find my own rhythm and pace. Much of this just involves simplifying. Whenever things get busy, I focus on: Gaël, working out and work. The goal is to apply myself to each of these things with consistency and then intensity.

I've cut out dating, tv and internet. My phone currently holds charge for about 20 minutes of use. I'm very grateful for the opportunities of presence and mindfulness. It is also giving me an opportunity to focus on relationships - friendships. This early summer has yielded a much needed face time and conversation.

Gaël is doing well. The climbing is just amazing. We go to the rock gym and he's attacking the adult routes (only the the very beginning ones, but it's still amazing). He likes to talk about super heroes and is trying to figure out the relationship between the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy (are they friends? enemies? which one is better? stronger?). We've got an 80 book reading list we're going to try to tackle this summer.

Sending out the best vibes I can. Drop me a line of how you are doing and what's going in your life - would love to hear from everyone. If find yourself in Seattle, I'm always up for a walk, a talk, a swim or a picnic,

Cowabunga dude,

DJ

Written listening to this (and no I am not "Casanova0Tm" from the comments)