But there are two things I hold onto to get me over that I’d-rather-be-sleeping hump -- one is the potential that my fast lane pal will be there and she is just so wonderful, and the other is that I get to wear my purple Team Mermaids cap I got from swimming internet pals, Katie and Manda.

Twitter and Instagram have connected me to some amazing swimmers, many in the UK (it's how I learned the word lido!!) and these women are no exception. Check out their London pool map and their open water swim map around London, and their swim cake study! It's enough to make me want to throw my suit in a bag and book a flight asap!

And thanks to a package in the post, Laura, Rhya and I get to be the Torontonian contingent of Team Mermaids! Purple caps abound!

It's Thanksgiving here in Canada, which usually means turkey and stuffing (my favourite) and mashed potatoes. But it's hot and sunny and we're having Thanksgiving brunch (aka croissants instead of turkey) this year instead.

As I was swimming today, I was reflecting on all that I have to be thankful for—my wonderful little family; my body that brought my daughter into the world earlier this year; Toronto's pools, the coffee I drank this morning with my love in a post-hike parking lot; the words I get to write; the sleep that sometimes happens, and sometimes doesn't; my dear, dear friends, old and new, who fill my heart and my days with such kindness and grace and hilarity (and chips); watching my kid and his cousin yell "I love you/I love you too" as they said goodbye tonight under a pink-orange sky; the brilliant swimmers I've met through this blog; and my brilliant, radiant, inspiring swimming ladies, who keep me grounded and remind me to breathe and swim and make things. My swimming pals who understand the healing power of water. We are joined by this love of lakes and pools and ponds and rivers. It buoys my heart daily.


To swimming friends and all of our adventures ahead...