Sixth Time Will Be the Charm

Ahoj. Summer is over—I wore a sweater yesterday, a blazer today. Will I need my leather jacket tomorrow? Did summer ever start at all? Prague was unusually cool and wet this year.

Disconnecting and taking an eight-day break to Ibiza gave me plenty of time to think. Maybe too much time actually. Because I returned with a list of “changes” to implement.

Uhh, isn't it a bit late in the year for resolutions? BFF asked over the weekend.

I say not at all. Returning from Marianske Lazne around this same time last year, I resolved to opt out of my dramatic dalliance with Jan. And look how well I turned out! Of course, I was inches away from psychotic in the first weeks, but hey, what do they say about change? The first ten days are the hardest....

Ibiza renewed my commitment to master swimming—five (yes, five) previous attempts notwithstanding. The waters looked sooo inviting, it was a shame not being able to dive in; but I suck at drowning.

So, where to swim in Prague?

Every other week I discover something cool about Holesovice, my new neighborhood. For example, I live less than ten minutes away from Vystaviste, an exhibition arena that also has sporting facilities, including a 25-meter pool. I eagerly went online to find pool hours to plan a schedule for practice.

Well, even better news awaited me.

Browsing through the site—used Google's translator 'cause my Czech ain't where it needs to be for the task—I discovered the link for a Czech swimming school that offers classes for adults!

Don't laugh. Actually, it's okay if you do. But I think the universe is telling me this is my time to finally get my fins.

I subscribe to about 25 blog feeds, including First 30 Days—a site about positive living. My Google reader was swamped from my time away. I skimmed a few entries from all the various sites, trashed about 90%. One entry I skimmed was from 30Days and featured a podcast with Tim Ferris, the 4-hour work week guru. Curious, I listened to the podcast, then checked out his blog where I found this entry: "Total Immersion: How I Learned to Swim Effortlessly in 10 Days and You Can Too".

A pool minutes away from my apartment, a swimming school with instructors who speak English (I've already called), and reference materials? I'm reading too much into this. I know. But humor me. I'm in a good mood and feeling optimistic. Classes start next week.

Addendum - Sharing something else I stumbled on. Looking for swimming pools anywhere in the world? Try this link.