As a child, I spent more time suspended in water than standing with my ten toes on the ground. I joined the swim team at five, and for the next thirteen years I moved from practice to meet, from chlorine bath to carbohydrate-heavy meal, my life measured in laps and lengths. I felt most free when fully submerged—in the brief hush after the dive, in that tight streamline where the body disappears and the world goes quiet…

On The Weight of Water: Opehlia