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--></style></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink="#954F72"><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>Hi,</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>It’s Judy that has the music box play list.</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></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">Sharon Wolfe via NFB-Seniors</a><br><b>Sent: </b>Saturday, August 22, 2020 2:58 PM<br><b>To: </b><a href="mailto:nfb-seniors@nfbnet.org">NFB Senior Division list</a><br><b>Cc: </b><a href="mailto:hissharon@icloud.com">Sharon Wolfe</a><br><b>Subject: </b>[NFB-Seniors] {Spam?} Re: {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>Yes, Barbara! I would be delighted if you can share your 700 antique music box play! What is the size of that music box? I love the tune of the music boxes, I’m from Japan and we had so many different tunes on the small music boxes some of them are mounted in a jewelry box, it has mirror floor and a little ballerina pops up when open the jewelry box and she has a magnetic ballet shoes on andspins With the music that plays! Wow! It brings me back such a wonderful memory from the past!</p><p class=MsoNormal>Sharon Wolfe from Oklahoma</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>> On Aug 22, 2020, at 1:57 PM, Barbara Shaidnagle via NFB-Seniors <nfb-seniors@nfbnet.org> wrote:</p><p class=MsoNormal>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>> I have three books on amazon.com, two of the links appear after this</p><p class=MsoNormal>> email. The third is called LOVE AND THE HOLY GHOST. It got a little</p><p class=MsoNormal>> personal for me. The crux of the book is about a girl who dies and does</p><p class=MsoNormal>> not pass over. I was at the point where she was gonna pass over and Joe</p><p class=MsoNormal>> died. After three years I decided to end the book and did.</p><p class=MsoNormal>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>> I was in the Writer's Division and had some stuff published, some poems.</p><p class=MsoNormal>> some articles about my writing.</p><p class=MsoNormal>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> On Sat, Aug 22, 2020 at 2:34 PM Judy Jones via NFB-Seniors <</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> nfb-seniors@nfbnet.org> wrote:</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> Hello,</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> I like to do a lot of things. For one, I like being on the PC and helping</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> people trouble-shoot.</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> I also like to knit and read, and I enjoy using my sewing machine. I used</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> to make garments, but more lately have only needed to do mending and</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> hemming with it. Quilting is something blind people don’t have to give up,</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> either.</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> I used to love horseback riding, but haven’t been in a place where I can</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> do that now, nothing available here that I know of.</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> Since I retired in 2017, I am beginning to take up things I had discarded.</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> One big hobby is antique music boxes, their mechanics and music. I wrote</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> my thesis on the antique music box, and have one we bought in Germany, and</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> have a digital collection of over 700 tunes in an antique music box play</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> list I would be glad to share with anyone.</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> Judy</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> *From: *Robert Leslie Newman via NFB-Seniors <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 <nfb-seniors@nfbnet.org></p><p class=MsoNormal>>> *Cc: *Robert Leslie Newman <robertleslienewman@gmail.com></p><p class=MsoNormal>>> *Subject: *[NFB-Seniors] {Spam?} Hobbies - Do you have one? Will you</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> share it with the rest of us? READ THIS MESSAGE</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> Hi You All</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </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>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> up and wonder if anyone else has figured out how to do it?</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> Here is one of the best uses of this listserv!</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> We have 305 email addresses/people on this list. Sure, not all of the</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> seniors that are presently members of the NFB are with us on this list, but</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> for sure, it is people that are looking to communicate with other seniors.</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> I</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> think we all are eager for information, and are also willing to give it; to</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> support each other.</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> Note: The NFB Seniors Division's 2020 Virtual Senior Retreat is coming up</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> October 18th-24th. I will lead the discussion class, entitled Exploring</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> Hobbies. We want to offer meaningful and exciting information by means of:</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> Speakers who are great examples; Written information about resources; Links</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> to audio and/or video presentations.</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> Consider the following:</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> #1 Are you willing to share with us about your hobbies, and how you handle</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> them? The information we gather will be used in our Retreat, be placed on</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> our NFB Seniors Division's website, and in one way or another, with all of</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> us on this list.</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> #2 Here are examples of what we mean as a hobby: Collecting things;</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> gardening; Crafts; Woodworking; fishing; Cooking/baking; Sowing, knitting,</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> etc.; Reading/writing; Exercising; Birding; Restoring old cars. You tell</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> us!</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> #3 Here is what we need to have said, described: Title of the hobby; Your</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> name; Contact information: Extent of your blindness; what alternative</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> methods and special equipment do you use; did you do this before you lost</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> vision, or is this a new hobby.</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> Remember, we are trying to help one another, we blind seniors, but also to</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> enlighten family, blindness services professionals, and the general public.</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> So Keep yourself focused on making your description, shortish, easy to</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> follow, and to the point. I can and will help with needed editing;</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> straightening out with is written, or editing an audio file.</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> #4 Here are methods on how you can share, tell us:</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </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>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> and I record your description. We'd have to make an appointment, to make</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> sure we hook up at a mutually agreed upon convenient time. 402-660-1743</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> *2. Write an email or document with a description and send it to me at-</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> robertleslienewman@gmail.com</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> **One of my hobbies is exercise, swimming in the summer in our back yard</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> pool makes that easy; when the temp is right. Below is an article that</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> appear several years back in the Braille Monitor; I'm still doing this</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> same</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> daily routine.</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> Braille Monitor June</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> 2008</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> Swimming in the Zone</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> A Mile in My Backyard</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> by Robert Leslie Newman</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> From the Editor: Summer is here, and many blind people would be interested</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> in getting exercise in the pool if they had access and know-how. Two</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> articles in this issue should offer encouragement to those who love the</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> water. The first is by Robert Leslie Newman, who is one of our most</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> dedicated advocates for exercise. This is what he says:</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> Swimming has always been one of my favorite physical activities. As a kid I</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </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>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> my friends. Now that I am older, less than a year away from completing my</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> sixth decade, though I still love swimming for those early reasons, I</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> realize that swimming fulfills an additional set of personal needs. In this</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> article I intend to explore how a blind person swims independently and how</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> this exercise benefits me physically and mentally and boosts my</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> self-confidence. Finally, I will describe how this exercise can get you</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> into</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> the zone.</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </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>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> been able to make one of our dreams come true: to have our own backyard</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> swimming pool. It is an aboveground oval pool measuring twelve feet by</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> twenty-four feet and is four feet deep. Its sides are steel, its thick</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> plastic liner is aqua blue, and it has an electric pump and filtering</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> system. We had a deck built that wraps around both ends and one long side</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> and joins an existing deck--house to pool without getting your feet dirty.</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> Swimming as a totally blind person demands the same basic travel skills as</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> traveling on dry land: a combination of hearing, touch, and common sense.</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> As</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> I describe my personal technique, note that, just as not all blind</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> travelers</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> use basic travel skills in the same way, each blind swimmer finds his or</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> her</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> own style of making it work. When swimming on the surface, my preference is</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </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>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> oriented; this would also help to avoid collisions with other swimmers. In</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </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>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> to the length and width of the pool, but more important, to detect where</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> the</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> side walls are, helping me avoid running into them and, when swimming laps,</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> to know precisely where they are in order to stay within touching distance</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> of them.</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> This hearing the walls, detecting where they are, is more than just</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> listening for the sound of splashing water as it encounters the pool's</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> sides</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> and hearing background sounds coming over the top of the wall. This ability</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> is more a result of the very real phenomenon that many blind people speak</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> of</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> as "blind sonar" or echolocation (before it was better understood, it was</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> called "facial vision"). When I am asked to explain this "detecting the</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> walls," I usually explain that objects make their presence known both by</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> the</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> quality of their echo feedback, which can be either highly reflective or</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> sound absorbing, and also by the pressure that their mass projects, which</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> we</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> usually feel on the face. Once you detect it, you can use the amount of</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> pressure to judge your distance and angle from the object--in this case the</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> pool wall. (Sailors speak of sailing on a moonless and starless night and</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> feeling the loom of a nearby towering rock or an on-coming island.)</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> Swimming as exercise is one of my new enthusiasms. I love physical</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> exercise.</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> At every stage of my life I have found time for it. I presently do some</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> sort</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> of exercise six days a week: lifting weights, running, and muscle crunches.</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> Now I mix in swimming during the warm months. Not only does swimming tax</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> your respiratory and circulatory systems, it also involves all your muscles</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> and is a low-impact activity. I love the feeling I have after a good</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> workout</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> in the water, overall fatigue yet a sense of accomplishment for having</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> given</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> my body a good workout. Knowing I am better inside and out gives me a glow</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> of virtue. Like most people I pride myself on knowing that I am taking good</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> care of my body, my health, and my general appearance.</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </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>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> maintenance, I make a game of finding leaves and other debris that have</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> fallen in the water. This is not just walking around feeling for stuff with</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </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>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> bottom and conduct a search over a reasonably large area. I really get to</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> work on my ability to hold a breath.</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> I have also made up several great underwater games. I drop and lie prone on</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> the floor of the pool. As I sink, I expel all the air in my lungs,</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> eliminating buoyancy. The object is to sink and not have to fight to stay</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> on</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> the bottom. With some of my body touching the spongy plastic flooring and</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> stretched out with arms extended, I propel myself by finger and toe</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> movements only. The object is to see how far and fast I can go.</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> Another favorite underwater game is to visualize myself as a bird in</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> flight;</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> the medium in which I am propelling myself, a body of water, is not very</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> different from a bird flying through the air. The real thrill that comes</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> with this second exercise is planning and executing course changes,</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> sometimes radical ones; this is as close to soaring as we humans can get.</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> If</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> I am swimming in a straight line, I perform a tilting sharp right or left</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> turn or do a figure eight. The resulting position of my body is much like a</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> bird's motion during a banking turn. You can really surprise yourself by</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> coming up from the bottom on a steep angle as fast as you can and pop out</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> of</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> the water. This is called broaching when a whale does it.</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> My favorite swimming exercise is distance swimming, and I love to watch</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> people's reaction when I say, "I swam a mile in my backyard." This is of</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> course an aerobic activity intended to work on the respiratory,</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> circulatory,</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> and musculature systems. The equation calculating a mile of swimming goes</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> like this--a mile, 5,280 feet, divided by the perimeter of my pool, 56.5</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> feet, equals about ninety-three laps. Because I am swimming just inside the</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> pool's wall, using good old blind sonar to keep within touching distance of</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> the side at all times, I add five laps to bring the distance traveled of</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </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>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> every thirty-five seconds, so one mile takes about fifty-seven minutes to</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> complete.</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> I have been asked how I track when I have completed a full circuit of the</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> pool. I first thought that I would just keep track of the two turns and the</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> two straight-a ways and raise my count that way. But, when you get into</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> long-distance swimming and hit the zone that I will speak of in the next</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> paragraphs, your mind begins floating free. You focus on thoughts that do</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> not lend themselves to counting turns and straight-a ways or the shifting</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> of</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> the sun or the sound of the neighbor's lawnmower. So I increase my lap</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> count</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </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>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> hole in the pool's wall at the waterline that serves as an overflow port</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> and</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> allows floating debris to be skimmed off the surface.</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> Swimming a mile is not something I do every day; I don't always have the</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </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>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> times a week. I am going to describe swimming a mile because of what</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> happens, not only the physical glow and healthy fatigue, but, even more</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> intriguing, achieving the zone, the mental state that comes as my body</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> adjusts to the strong and continuous physical strain.</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> Starting a long swim, I am excited to begin but nervous that I may not make</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> it. I plunge in, either pushing off the ladder or diving off the deck, not</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> touching bottom then or when I finish. Until I hoist myself out again onto</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> the hard, dry planks of the deck, water will be my only medium. My swims</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> have pretty much developed a pattern of both physical and mental stages:</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> the</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> warm-up, the struggle, the second wind and the zone, then the hard work,</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> and</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> the final push to the finish.</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> I warm up during the first ten or so laps, stretching muscles and joints,</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> working the breathing, finding the right stroke, slowly building up speed.</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> A</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> modified breast stroke works best for me. Visualize my head up, ears and</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> nose out of the water, my back and shoulders rhythmically bobbing above and</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> below the surface of the water, my body rocking as I first stretch out,</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> legs</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> kicking back while simultaneously my arms reach ahead. Then my body</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> contracts as my arms stroke back and my legs come forward. This quick</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> one-two action is repeated again and again. I call this swimming style my</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> sea gallop.</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> I first feel fatigue somewhere in the twenties. I just push through this</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> feeling and refuse to give in. Sometimes, to boost my willpower, I give</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> myself a fantasy goal, visualizing that I am swimming away from the</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> mainland</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> toward an island a mile offshore.</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> Somewhere in the thirties I reach and pass through a physical barrier and</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> settle into my most economical stroke. I have my second wind and find that</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> pushing my speed up to about two-thirds of my best is a pace that I can</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> hold</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> for the next twenty to thirty laps. It is here that I am no longer giving</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> full attention to what my body is doing. I experience a separation of</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> physical and mental awareness. I have reached the zone. My body is working</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> on something like autopilot, where I am fully aware of all that it is doing</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> and I am in full control, but I suddenly find my thoughts expanding,</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> sometimes cascading. When I focus on one thought, the images come fast and</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> full, and I find that I can take them places that I ordinarily would not be</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> capable of--working out problems in relationships, building story-lines for</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> articles such as this one, examining the secrets of life, and more. During</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> this period I have the hardest time keeping track of laps. When in doubt of</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> the count, I always repeat the lap.</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> The later fifties and early sixties can be a time to slow down and shift</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> the</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> strain from one set of muscles to another, giving parts of my body a rest.</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> Then in the later sixties and lower seventies I can again push on strong,</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> up</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> to about two-thirds power, and I'm again in the zone. By the later</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> mid-eighties and nineties I am again swimming at about one-third speed,</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> working at it to stay steady and concentrating on having a good finish.</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> At this writing my longest distance has been two miles. My goal for this</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> summer is five miles. I have run five miles many times in the past, and</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> swimming them will indeed be a challenge. (The zone in running is called</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> "runner's high.") But challenge in life is what we all need, and as blind</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> people in this day and age, when others often doubt our abilities, we need</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> to be ready to tackle any and all challenges that come our way. Success</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> with</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> a physical challenge can be one way of building belief and confidence in</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> ourselves and can help us to meet and overcome life's challenges.</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </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</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> NFB-Seniors:</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfb-seniors_nfbnet.org/bshaid%40gmail.com</p><p class=MsoNormal>>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>> -- </p><p class=MsoNormal>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>> http://www.amazon.com/Wisp-Barbara-Shaidnagle/dp/1511630515/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8</p><p class=MsoNormal>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>> http://www.amazon.com/Trashy-White-Girls-Barbara-Shaidnagle/dp/1512159948/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8</p><p class=MsoNormal>> </p><p class=MsoNormal>> DeColores</p><p class=MsoNormal>> Barbara</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/hissharon%40icloud.com</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>