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--></style></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink="#954F72"><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>Thank you very much for asking!</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Will organize it into something you can use.</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I had to laugh about the horseback riding. The first time I was on a horse was when I was four years old, and while I didn’t ride every day, I rode quite a bit during my growing up years in Colorado.</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Your question should be asked of other blind riders. I either followed someone else on horseback or the horse and I knew where we were, thinking about my uncle’s horses, and I’ve ridden a lot of trail rides, but that was long ago, but loved it.</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>My uncle wanted to enter me into some competitions, but I was so busy with high school activities, I didn’t feel I could give it the time it deserved.</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I am blind due to retinopathy of prematurity, and have had light perception, which has diminished over the years. I have always used braille and used the white cane or a guide dog in unfamiliar places.</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Judy</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div style='mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal style='border:none;padding:0in'><b>From: </b><a href="mailto:nfb-seniors@nfbnet.org">Robert Leslie Newman via NFB-Seniors</a><br><b>Sent: </b>Saturday, August 22, 2020 5:08 PM<br><b>To: </b><a href="mailto:nfb-seniors@nfbnet.org">NFB Senior Division list</a><br><b>Cc: </b><a href="mailto:robertleslienewman@gmail.com">Robert Leslie Newman</a><br><b>Subject: </b>[NFB-Seniors] {Spam?} RE: {Spam?} RE: {Spam?} Hobbies - Do you have one? Will you share it with the rest of us? READ THIS MESSAGE</p></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Miss Judy</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Thank you very much for writing in on this request; it I think will be a worthy project; yielding info for the class, and for the WWW.</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Okay, Here is an additional ask for information: Could you write a couple of sentences that will explain your blindness; how blind, since when, and what from? I just know from experience, that most people who are new to blindness in their lives, will tend to be narrow in what they will attend to in regards to “is that person like me and my problem?” </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Then, on the hobbies you mentioned, it would be super nice to get some input on how you do it. Like, on the helping people with computers; do you use a screen reader, and/or a braille display? And in regard to the other hobbies you mentioned, any elaboration would be good! (I can just see someone thinking you are riding a horse with a guide bulling you and the horse behind them, via bulling your horse by its Raines. </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Second, this could also be a good story, all of your interests, to be made into a MP3 file. Would you be up for that? In fact, I suggested the same thing to Chris; with the suggestion that… you could do this with your Polaris? (I’m serious; intending respect and well… assistance in getting some of this good stuff recorded, and up for the WWW.)</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Thanks</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Respectfully yours,</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Robert Leslie Newman</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>NFBN Senior Division, President</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>NFB Seniors Division, Second Vice President</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>NFBN Omaha Chapter, Secretary</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Thanks </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>From: NFB-Seniors [mailto:nfb-seniors-bounces@nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Judy Jones via NFB-Seniors</p><p class=MsoNormal>Sent: Saturday, August 22, 2020 1:33 PM</p><p class=MsoNormal>To: NFB Senior Division list <nfb-seniors@nfbnet.org></p><p class=MsoNormal>Cc: Judy Jones <sonshines59@gmail.com></p><p class=MsoNormal>Subject: [NFB-Seniors] {Spam?} RE: {Spam?} Hobbies - Do you have one? Will you share it with the rest of us? READ THIS MESSAGE</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Hello,</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I like to do a lot of things. For one, I like being on the PC and helping people trouble-shoot.</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I also like to knit and read, and I enjoy using my sewing machine. I used to make garments, but more lately have only needed to do mending and hemming with it. Quilting is something blind people don’t have to give up, either.</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I used to love horseback riding, but haven’t been in a place where I can do that now, nothing available here that I know of.</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Since I retired in 2017, I am beginning to take up things I had discarded.</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>One big hobby is antique music boxes, their mechanics and music. I wrote my thesis on the antique music box, and have one we bought in Germany, and have a digital collection of over 700 tunes in an antique music box play list I would be glad to share with anyone.</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Judy</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>From: Robert Leslie Newman via NFB-Seniors <mailto:nfb-seniors@nfbnet.org> </p><p class=MsoNormal>Sent: Saturday, August 22, 2020 10:55 AM</p><p class=MsoNormal>To: NFB Senior Division list <mailto:nfb-seniors@nfbnet.org> </p><p class=MsoNormal>Cc: Robert Leslie Newman <mailto:robertleslienewman@gmail.com> </p><p class=MsoNormal>Subject: [NFB-Seniors] {Spam?} Hobbies - Do you have one? Will you share it with the rest of us? READ THIS MESSAGE</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Hi You All</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>RE: Do you have a hobby and want to tell us about it? Or, you gave a hobby</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>up and wonder if anyone else has figured out how to do it? </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Here is one of the best uses of this listserv! </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>We have 305 email addresses/people on this list. Sure, not all of the</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>seniors that are presently members of the NFB are with us on this list, but</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>for sure, it is people that are looking to communicate with other seniors. I</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>think we all are eager for information, and are also willing to give it; to</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>support each other. </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Note: The NFB Seniors Division's 2020 Virtual Senior Retreat is coming up</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>October 18th-24th. I will lead the discussion class, entitled Exploring</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Hobbies. We want to offer meaningful and exciting information by means of:</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Speakers who are great examples; Written information about resources; Links</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>to audio and/or video presentations. </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Consider the following:</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>#1 Are you willing to share with us about your hobbies, and how you handle</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>them? The information we gather will be used in our Retreat, be placed on</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>our NFB Seniors Division's website, and in one way or another, with all of</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>us on this list. </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>#2 Here are examples of what we mean as a hobby: Collecting things;</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>gardening; Crafts; Woodworking; fishing; Cooking/baking; Sowing, knitting,</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>etc.; Reading/writing; Exercising; Birding; Restoring old cars. You tell us!</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>#3 Here is what we need to have said, described: Title of the hobby; Your</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>name; Contact information: Extent of your blindness; what alternative</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>methods and special equipment do you use; did you do this before you lost</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>vision, or is this a new hobby. </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Remember, we are trying to help one another, we blind seniors, but also to</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>enlighten family, blindness services professionals, and the general public.</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>So Keep yourself focused on making your description, shortish, easy to</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>follow, and to the point. I can and will help with needed editing;</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>straightening out with is written, or editing an audio file.</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>#4 Here are methods on how you can share, tell us:</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>#5 You Make a recording and get it to me. Or, we together get on the phone</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>and I record your description. We'd have to make an appointment, to make</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>sure we hook up at a mutually agreed upon convenient time. 402-660-1743</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>*2. Write an email or document with a description and send it to me at-</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>robertleslienewman@gmail.com <mailto:robertleslienewman@gmail.com> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>**One of my hobbies is exercise, swimming in the summer in our back yard</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>pool makes that easy; when the temp is right. Below is an article that</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>appear several years back in the Braille Monitor; I'm still doing this same</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>daily routine.</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Braille Monitor June 2008</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Swimming in the Zone</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>A Mile in My Backyard</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>by Robert Leslie Newman</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>From the Editor: Summer is here, and many blind people would be interested</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>in getting exercise in the pool if they had access and know-how. Two</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>articles in this issue should offer encouragement to those who love the</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>water. The first is by Robert Leslie Newman, who is one of our most</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>dedicated advocates for exercise. This is what he says:</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Swimming has always been one of my favorite physical activities. As a kid I</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>saw it as fun and physically refreshing on a hot day and a time to be with</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>my friends. Now that I am older, less than a year away from completing my</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>sixth decade, though I still love swimming for those early reasons, I</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>realize that swimming fulfills an additional set of personal needs. In this</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>article I intend to explore how a blind person swims independently and how</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>this exercise benefits me physically and mentally and boosts my</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>self-confidence. Finally, I will describe how this exercise can get you into</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>the zone.</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I am lucky to be at a stage of life and career in which my wife and I have</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>been able to make one of our dreams come true: to have our own backyard</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>swimming pool. It is an aboveground oval pool measuring twelve feet by</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>twenty-four feet and is four feet deep. Its sides are steel, its thick</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>plastic liner is aqua blue, and it has an electric pump and filtering</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>system. We had a deck built that wraps around both ends and one long side</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>and joins an existing deck--house to pool without getting your feet dirty.</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Swimming as a totally blind person demands the same basic travel skills as</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>traveling on dry land: a combination of hearing, touch, and common sense. As</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I describe my personal technique, note that, just as not all blind travelers</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>use basic travel skills in the same way, each blind swimmer finds his or her</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>own style of making it work. When swimming on the surface, my preference is</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>always to have my ears out of the water so I can use my hearing to keep</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>oriented; this would also help to avoid collisions with other swimmers. In</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>this ears-up style I am able, not only to keep track of where I am relative</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>to the length and width of the pool, but more important, to detect where the</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>side walls are, helping me avoid running into them and, when swimming laps,</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>to know precisely where they are in order to stay within touching distance</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>of them.</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>This hearing the walls, detecting where they are, is more than just</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>listening for the sound of splashing water as it encounters the pool's sides</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>and hearing background sounds coming over the top of the wall. This ability</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>is more a result of the very real phenomenon that many blind people speak of</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>as "blind sonar" or echolocation (before it was better understood, it was</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>called "facial vision"). When I am asked to explain this "detecting the</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>walls," I usually explain that objects make their presence known both by the</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>quality of their echo feedback, which can be either highly reflective or</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>sound absorbing, and also by the pressure that their mass projects, which we</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>usually feel on the face. Once you detect it, you can use the amount of</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>pressure to judge your distance and angle from the object--in this case the</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>pool wall. (Sailors speak of sailing on a moonless and starless night and</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>feeling the loom of a nearby towering rock or an on-coming island.) </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Swimming as exercise is one of my new enthusiasms. I love physical exercise.</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>At every stage of my life I have found time for it. I presently do some sort</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>of exercise six days a week: lifting weights, running, and muscle crunches.</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Now I mix in swimming during the warm months. Not only does swimming tax</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>your respiratory and circulatory systems, it also involves all your muscles</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>and is a low-impact activity. I love the feeling I have after a good workout</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>in the water, overall fatigue yet a sense of accomplishment for having given</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>my body a good workout. Knowing I am better inside and out gives me a glow</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>of virtue. Like most people I pride myself on knowing that I am taking good</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>care of my body, my health, and my general appearance.</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>If I don't watch it, I can get bored when I swim. So, as part of pool</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>maintenance, I make a game of finding leaves and other debris that have</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>fallen in the water. This is not just walking around feeling for stuff with</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>my toes, I'm on a hunt. I make it a test of how quickly I can get to the</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>bottom and conduct a search over a reasonably large area. I really get to</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>work on my ability to hold a breath. </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I have also made up several great underwater games. I drop and lie prone on</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>the floor of the pool. As I sink, I expel all the air in my lungs,</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>eliminating buoyancy. The object is to sink and not have to fight to stay on</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>the bottom. With some of my body touching the spongy plastic flooring and</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>stretched out with arms extended, I propel myself by finger and toe</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>movements only. The object is to see how far and fast I can go. </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Another favorite underwater game is to visualize myself as a bird in flight;</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>the medium in which I am propelling myself, a body of water, is not very</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>different from a bird flying through the air. The real thrill that comes</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>with this second exercise is planning and executing course changes,</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>sometimes radical ones; this is as close to soaring as we humans can get. If</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I am swimming in a straight line, I perform a tilting sharp right or left</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>turn or do a figure eight. The resulting position of my body is much like a</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>bird's motion during a banking turn. You can really surprise yourself by</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>coming up from the bottom on a steep angle as fast as you can and pop out of</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>the water. This is called broaching when a whale does it. </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>My favorite swimming exercise is distance swimming, and I love to watch</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>people's reaction when I say, "I swam a mile in my backyard." This is of</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>course an aerobic activity intended to work on the respiratory, circulatory,</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>and musculature systems. The equation calculating a mile of swimming goes</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>like this--a mile, 5,280 feet, divided by the perimeter of my pool, 56.5</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>feet, equals about ninety-three laps. Because I am swimming just inside the</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>pool's wall, using good old blind sonar to keep within touching distance of</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>the side at all times, I add five laps to bring the distance traveled of</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>about fifty-four feet a lap up to 5,292 feet. On average I make one circuit</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>every thirty-five seconds, so one mile takes about fifty-seven minutes to</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>complete.</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I have been asked how I track when I have completed a full circuit of the</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>pool. I first thought that I would just keep track of the two turns and the</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>two straight-a ways and raise my count that way. But, when you get into</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>long-distance swimming and hit the zone that I will speak of in the next</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>paragraphs, your mind begins floating free. You focus on thoughts that do</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>not lend themselves to counting turns and straight-a ways or the shifting of</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>the sun or the sound of the neighbor's lawnmower. So I increase my lap count</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>by one each time I come abreast of the sound of the skimmer box, a cut-out</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>hole in the pool's wall at the waterline that serves as an overflow port and</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>allows floating debris to be skimmed off the surface.</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Swimming a mile is not something I do every day; I don't always have the</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>time to devote to it. Yet on average in the summer I do it two to three</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>times a week. I am going to describe swimming a mile because of what</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>happens, not only the physical glow and healthy fatigue, but, even more</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>intriguing, achieving the zone, the mental state that comes as my body</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>adjusts to the strong and continuous physical strain.</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Starting a long swim, I am excited to begin but nervous that I may not make</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>it. I plunge in, either pushing off the ladder or diving off the deck, not</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>touching bottom then or when I finish. Until I hoist myself out again onto</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>the hard, dry planks of the deck, water will be my only medium. My swims</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>have pretty much developed a pattern of both physical and mental stages: the</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>warm-up, the struggle, the second wind and the zone, then the hard work, and</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>the final push to the finish. </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I warm up during the first ten or so laps, stretching muscles and joints,</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>working the breathing, finding the right stroke, slowly building up speed. A</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>modified breast stroke works best for me. Visualize my head up, ears and</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>nose out of the water, my back and shoulders rhythmically bobbing above and</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>below the surface of the water, my body rocking as I first stretch out, legs</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>kicking back while simultaneously my arms reach ahead. Then my body</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>contracts as my arms stroke back and my legs come forward. This quick</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>one-two action is repeated again and again. I call this swimming style my</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>sea gallop.</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I first feel fatigue somewhere in the twenties. I just push through this</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>feeling and refuse to give in. Sometimes, to boost my willpower, I give</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>myself a fantasy goal, visualizing that I am swimming away from the mainland</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>toward an island a mile offshore. </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Somewhere in the thirties I reach and pass through a physical barrier and</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>settle into my most economical stroke. I have my second wind and find that</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>pushing my speed up to about two-thirds of my best is a pace that I can hold</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>for the next twenty to thirty laps. It is here that I am no longer giving</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>full attention to what my body is doing. I experience a separation of</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>physical and mental awareness. I have reached the zone. My body is working</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>on something like autopilot, where I am fully aware of all that it is doing</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>and I am in full control, but I suddenly find my thoughts expanding,</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>sometimes cascading. When I focus on one thought, the images come fast and</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>full, and I find that I can take them places that I ordinarily would not be</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>capable of--working out problems in relationships, building story-lines for</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>articles such as this one, examining the secrets of life, and more. During</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>this period I have the hardest time keeping track of laps. When in doubt of</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>the count, I always repeat the lap. </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The later fifties and early sixties can be a time to slow down and shift the</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>strain from one set of muscles to another, giving parts of my body a rest.</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Then in the later sixties and lower seventies I can again push on strong, up</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>to about two-thirds power, and I'm again in the zone. By the later</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>mid-eighties and nineties I am again swimming at about one-third speed,</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>working at it to stay steady and concentrating on having a good finish.</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>At this writing my longest distance has been two miles. My goal for this</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>summer is five miles. I have run five miles many times in the past, and</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>swimming them will indeed be a challenge. (The zone in running is called</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>"runner's high.") But challenge in life is what we all need, and as blind</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>people in this day and age, when others often doubt our abilities, we need</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>to be ready to tackle any and all challenges that come our way. Success with</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>a physical challenge can be one way of building belief and confidence in</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>ourselves and can help us to meet and overcome life's challenges.</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> </p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>_______________________________________________</p><p class=MsoNormal>NFB-Seniors mailing list</p><p class=MsoNormal>NFB-Seniors@nfbnet.org</p><p class=MsoNormal>http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-seniors_nfbnet.org</p><p class=MsoNormal>Division website: http://seniors.nfb.org</p><p class=MsoNormal>To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for NFB-Seniors:</p><p class=MsoNormal>http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfb-seniors_nfbnet.org/sonshines59%40gmail.com</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>