Swimming Lessons & Tamil Tigers

It was an odd day....

Tamil Tigers were demonstrating near our Parliament Hill yesterday afternoon - 32 countries, including Canada - consider them a terrorist group, so exactly why are they still being allowed to continue their protest today? This is a group known to have initiated the use of women in suicide attacks, known for recruiting child soldiers, known to have carried out more suicide bombings than al-Qaeda, Hislamic Jihad and Hamas combined.

It has been a relatively peaceful demonstration so far but trying to get into the government building I work in was and is disconcerting and a touch scary to be stared at so hatefully by so many masked men, simply because I'm a woman.

On to happier things, my kids had their usual Wednesday night swimming lessons and it is a joy to see my daughter jumping into the pool with a smile; holding her while she does the doggy-paddle, and listening to her laugh as she blows bubbles. My son is doing very well in his intermediate class - learning how to do the backstroke using a float-board, learning how to dive instead belly-flopping, and I see him listening intently to his instructor from where I am in the kiddy-pool.

Something about watching my kids take on these new skills, being in the water, seeing their eyes shining, allows me to let go of the constant hum and murmur of my brain and actually focus on the moment, savour it, relish it, tuck it away in my memory to open again later like a favourite, well-worn book.

It is carpe diem and namaste all rolled into one big, wet hug.