To see if my technique and form are correct, I recently watched a video on the mechanics of the flip turn. The instructor described the flip turn as the most efficient way for a swimmer, once she reaches the wall, to turn back and swim toward the other wall. Not only does it retain energy, but it’s the best way to maintain momentum.

            The flip turn is one of my favorite things to do in swimming and, according to the online swim instructor, I’m doing it correctly.

            I don’t think about mechanics while I’m in the water. For me there’s an ethereal quality.  It’s a different world beneath the surface. I tuck, turn a somersault and gaze up at a crystal ceiling. Then, pressing my feet against the pool wall, I flip over and catapult myself in the opposite direction.  

            In a few months I will retire from my day job. In my younger days I viewed retirement as the end to real life where I would sit on park benches and feed the birds or languish in front of the television in a vegetative state.

            Nowhere is either of those activities part of my plan. My first novel debuted last week. The sequel is due to be released in December. I’ve begun work on a third novel, the last part of the trilogy.     

            For me the flip turn is not only an enjoyable part of swimming but also a metaphor for my life. I’ve come to one end of the pool. With renewed vitality, I tuck into a ball, press my feet against the wall, flip and catapult myself into life’s flow.

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And for those of you who want to know what a flip turn looks like: