Fountain of Youth — Swimming

I fell in love with swimming from the moment I learned. I can still remember standing on the diving board at the community pool with my dad treading water in the deep end, waiting for me to jump to him. The color of the water was the same color as the sky during a full moon. Deep blue. That was a bit scary, but I recall wishing I was able to swim without my dad having to catch me.

My family moved to Maine the summer when I was seven. We didn't have a community pool. We had the river, nearby ponds and lakes, and, of course, the ocean. My love for swimming grew by leaps and bounds from that point forward. We swam as frequently as we possibly could in the summer. Sometimes my siblings and I would stay at the river from mid-morning until dinner time (when we were famished and sun toasted.) We'd swim down river and then swim back up, against the current. We had a zip line and rope that overhung the river and we'd play on them for hours.

I never grew tired of swimming. Ever. 

Since my summers in Maine, going to college, getting married and having kids, I've taught myself how to swim laps and even started attending masters swim classes. I've enjoyed competing in triathlons and strongly considered trying out swim race this coming summer. I love it so much, I get giddy just thinking of jumping in the water. I'm like a kid all over again.

I recently found this video of a 90-year-old woman named Betty Kendall, she still competes in swim races. And wins! She's young and swimming has helped her stay that way.

I want to be swimming into my old age. I don't care that my body will be saggy and wrinkly. I love swimming that much — I won't care what my body looks like in a swimsuit.

Is there something  you love to do that you'll still be doing when you're old and wrinkly — something that will keep you young?