swimming lessons

A lot of people say exercising helps them relax and takes their mind off things for a while, or else it helps them focus on a problem a little more clearly. When I jump in the pool, there's none of that. Instead, I've got two voices battling it out from the moment I break the surface (squealing like a frightened pig at the sudden temperature shock) to the moment I crawl out (flopping on the deck like a prehistoric fish taking its first evolutionary steps on land.)

The voice of Lazy Amit is saying, "Dude, you've had a busy week, everyone will understand if you just swim a handful of 50s and get out. Take your time." The voice of Type-A Amit cuts in, shouting, "Stop hanging there on the wall, you barnacle! You're doing 200s and you'd better keep moving. That 80-year-old in the Speedo over there is kicking your ass!"

And so it goes on like this for the first several hundred yards or so: the voice of Lazy Amit gently urging me to skip the flip-turn and hang on the wall to catch my breath; the words of Type-A Amit pushing me onward to the next lap. Then, as I'm seriously contemplating getting out and taking Lazy Amit with me in search of a slice of pizza, Type-A Amit pulls out this line: "You can only improve if you push yourself to do so."

Well, ok, sometimes he phrases it a little less gently. "You suck," he'll say, "and if you get out now you're always going to suck." Either way, it keeps me in the pool every time. And then, when I eventually do finish up and get out, completely exhausted, I keep hearing those words (the kinder version). I hear them even when I get home and when I get back to work. You can only improve if you push yourself.

I'm not saying Type-A Amit always wins. I've bought Lazy Amit plenty of beers and dude owes me one sweet party one of these days. But the other guy's got a pretty convincing argument. When I think of it, I can't come up with a single thing I've done well or do well that just came to me on its own; there was always that push.