Rules of the Pool

Back in the day, I used to swim up to 10,000 yards A DAY. That is over six miles in the pool.
Today, I barely could dog paddle my way through a 1650. Part of me laments my stupidly spent 20s and 30s, living la vida beer and booze, not exercising to my potential and letting myself go on the free fall of adulthood.
But the "break" if you can call a 19 year hiatus from the pool only allows for me to really appreciate how fabulous the pool is. I am weightless. There is no "BING! BING!" of e-mails, no text messages, no deadlines glaring at me angrily - should should should. Only the lapping of the water next to my ears, the black line on the bottom of the pool my only focus.
It is amazing that I still flip turn without thinking, breath to the side automatically and still get annoyed with bad pool etiquette- old dude in front of me, I am touching your toes with every stroke. Let me pass you, for all that is good and holy!
The magic of being in chlorine, salt water or even a bath, if that is all that is available, still seems like a miracle cure all. Even though the Brits, in all of their quirky glory, seem to have built a majority of their pools to the peculiar length of 33 1/3 yards. Let me know when you see a 33 1/3 yd free style event.