Return

The perfect place: so much space and light and air at once, felt like I came out from a prison. A perfect day: no wind within the fiord; no waves, safe for those from the motorboats. The perfect me: I never stopped to believe that I’d return and I returned. To turn it right: my belief returned me.

After some time of adjustment, found the grip and the pace. And then the peace. And then the satisfaction. And then came joy. A total wholesome delight of being. At last!

Cloudy and warm enough to start the trip with short sleeves, took though on a wind-breaker with long sleeves upon coming closer to the open sea. There was a moderate North making waves, offering a resistance, waking up my abs and obliques. A pleasant discovery that I still had some after seven weeks.

Back in the protected waters, took a break for a few nuts and an apple. With a mouthful of juicy pulp, heard a proper splash as if someone dove in from a considerable height. Sure enough, an otter appeared a few metres from me and started to swim above the surface in a large circle. Chewing and softening, I observed the performance. On its second circle, a thought crossed my mind: could it be that the animal had a nest near the place I’s leisurely drifting by and the brave parent tried to lead me away from it? Increased the chewing frequencies, took the paddle and left the premises.

At the end of the trip – the marina’s already warned that I’m arriving in fifteen – I broke and turned, just to take in the whole view for the last time… and saw a rather large fish, ca 30 cm, jumping out of water once and again. Thought: “Someone has an excess of energy”, as I myself was totally exhausted. And then the fish jumped out a few times more: plump-plump-plump… And after came a seal and ended the story.