Resilience

Michel and I went swimming in the shallow water of the Gulf of Mexico to get in some light exercise without putting too much strain on my body. I waded along the shoreline in chest-high water so I could still touch the sand with my feet. Then, very gradually, a subtle undertow pulled me into deeper water. In astonishment and with raw, primal fear, all I could do was look at Michel, and do my best to cry “Help.”

I had always been a strong swimmer, but now I was seeing and comprehending in stark detail just how much my body had withered. My … » More …