Growing up we had a swimming pool in our backyard. The shape of it was similar to the shape of the state of California. We had a diving board and a slide (that, looking back, I’m quite shocked it never caused injury or harm to anyone, old and rickety as it was!). We’d get the slide going and sit on one of those rubber knee pads for gardening, just to get extra speed going down. My older brother and I spent (what felt like to us) hours in the pool during summer break. We always had a combined back-to-school swim party at the end of summer for our friends.

We also participated in swim team from the time we were about five years old, up until high school. I have so many memories of early Saturday morning swim meets, where the water was too cold for warm ups, but just right by the time our race came along and it was blazing hot. Many hours were spent perfecting my braiding abilities on willing friends.

Water has always felt holy to me. In the winter time, I take a bath most every night. Sometimes I’ll listen to music while I soak, other times I’ll watch a show or movie. And often times I’ll bring a crystal or two in with me to cleanse them and myself.

My memories are very vivid of when I was baptized. I grew up Evangelical Christian, and as such, you are supposed to decide when you are ready to be baptized and dedicate your life to the Lord. I was somewhere around middle school when I decided to do this. I was involved in the youth group at the church my family was going to, and a few of my friends and I decided to do it at the same time. The baptism coincided with an outdoor service, and the plan was to rent an above ground pool to do it in. Somewhere along the way, the pool did not make it to the church, and in a last minute scramble, they put a tarp in the back of a pickup truck and filled the bed of the truck with water. That’s right, I was baptized in the back of a pickup truck. And while I no longer identify as a Christian, I can still remember the cheers of the community around me as I came back up from under the water. It was such a beautiful moment to me.

There is something about water that is cleansing and comforting to me. It is life sustaining in the sense that you need to drink it to survive. But it is also life sustaining on an emotional and spiritual level for me. And then sometimes it’s made better by sharing in the experience with your best friend.