Summary

The author has a deep, lifelong connection with water, which has been a central element in their personal journey from childhood in Sacramento to adulthood in various cities near large bodies of water.

Abstract

Born in Sacramento, California, a city intertwined with rivers and lakes, the author's relationship with water began at birth. Regular family outings to nearby rivers and Folsom Lake, along with learning to swim at an early age, solidified water's role in their life. The author found solace and a means of stress relief in water, whether through swimming, biking along rivers, or visiting beaches. Memorable life events, such as a proposal at Folsom Lake, further cemented the significance of water. As life progressed, the author's moves to cities like San Francisco, Chicago, and Erie were influenced by the proximity to large bodies of water, reflecting an intrinsic need for water's calming presence. Despite life's uncertainties, the author's affinity for water remains a constant, shaping their lifestyle and emotional well-being.

Opinions

The author believes water has a calming effect, providing peace during stressful times.
They hold a fondness for Sacramento, despite its flood risks, due to its abundant water features.
Swimming was not only a pastime but also a competitive activity that kept the author and their friends active.
The author feels a personal connection to water, imagining it communicates with them during visits to the ocean.
The decision to move to Chicago was partly motivated by its location near water, offering familiarity and beauty.
The author values the recreational opportunities and scenic views that living near water provides.
They express a preference for blue, associating the color with the tranquility of water.
The author and their partner chose to live near Lake Erie after leaving Chicago, indicating a shared appreciation for aquatic environments.
Visiting Presque Isle State Park is considered a highlight of living in Erie, Pennsylvania, due to its beaches and views of the water.
The author is adamant about maintaining proximity to water, viewing it as an essential aspect of their identity and way of life.

Flow Like Water — A Journey From Water to Even More Water

Water has been an integral part of my journey throughout my life

Photo by Stephen Leonardi on Unsplash, Sacramento River, Sacramento skyline

It all started in 1982. I was born in the Northern California city of Sacramento. The city is situated at the confluence of two major rivers, the American River and the Sacramento River and the Folsom Lake is to the northeast of the city blocked by the massive Folsom Dam. The city is affectionately called the River City. It definitely has a reputation with water.

To top it all off, its weakened levees and location in relation to so much water made it the second-most likely major city to experience a major flood in the next 50 years. The other city, New Orleans, has gotten it regularly.

Being surrounded by so much water early on shaped my relationship with water. Our family would go to the rivers and the lake frequently. I remember early on going to the American River in the summertime to get away from the sweltering California summer heat.

As I got older, I learned to swim in the pool in our apartment complex. It’s pretty much standard California fare to swim somewhere, whether at the beach, in a river or lake, or in a pool. The old adage is that Californians are born ready for the water.

I find it kind of funny because my mom never learned how to swim but she can be forgiven because she wasn’t born in the state.

I learned to swim at a young age and developed a decent speed in the water. I would race my friends in the pool all the time as we would spend hours in the pool in the hot sunshine.

Swimming is how we all kept ourselves healthy and active growing up. As I got older, my relationship with the pool and with water continued to grow.

By JazzD — Own work (enwiki), Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12130015, Folsom Lake

I got proposed to by my high school girlfriend for the first time at Folsom Lake right on the dam road. That relationship didn’t end up working out in the end but the memories are still there to this day. When the lake started getting very low in the summers due to drought, I started to feel sad and went less to the lake and more to the rivers.

Near the American River, there is a massive marathon-length bike trail in the county and I would ride that thing regularly just to be near the water and the calming and serenity of it. I would easily ride 25 miles a day at the time as I had lost a lot of weight and had gotten very healthy going into my early 30s.

My favorite color is blue so the water has always been a calming and peaceful force in my life when anxiety and stress start to overwhelm me. I used to run off to the river or lake or even a pool when I got stressed out and it seemed to calm me as I tried to clear my mind and just sit there and meditate.

I also loved driving to the coast and to the beautiful beaches of San Francisco very often just so I could go out and look out at the Pacific Ocean, the San Francisco Bay, and the Golden Gate Bridge.

By Daniel Schwen — Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10102890, Baker Beach, San Francisco

I think that the water is what always brought me back to San Francisco whenever life got way too hectic for me in Sacramento. Baker Beach was a popular spot I would go to and just sit and feel the ocean air and watch the water whip against the coast.

I would imagine that the ocean was reaching out and talking to me personally and I would try and listen to the voices and the words it was trying to convey to me.

Then came the decision to move once my job shut down and was willing to relocate me and my partner in my mid-30s. Chicago was high on both of our lists because of its location right on one of the Great Lakes. It also provided a beautiful backdrop of beaches and forests in the summertime that would ring very familiar to me and my time in San Francisco.

By Edward Stojakovic from Portland, OR, United States — North Lake Shore Drive Beaches, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=56431229, Lake Michigan beaches

Lake Michigan was the spot of many of my partner’s and my summer days and nights. We even got to watch the fireworks on the 4th of July from Hollywood Beach. When we had to move again when we couldn’t afford the rents in Chicago anymore and were tired of driving in a loop on the tollway in our tiny home, we drove to his dad’s house close to the lake in Erie on Lake Erie, another Great Lake.

We are always drawn to water and even though we’ve had a much harder time of it here in Erie, Pennsylvania, we still enjoy being so close to a large body of water. The very first thing we did when we got here was visit Presque Isle State Park right on the bayfront before the bay transformed right into the lake beyond the peninsula.

It’s such a beautiful attraction to visit if you’re ever in Erie and is the main draw for tourists because of its beaches and great views of the water. You can also see the downtown from certain parts of the peninsula.

By Map drawn by RuhrfischTranslation done by Matthew — first user — Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10668648

The water will remain near us for as long as we try to figure out where we want to go next. We will never be too far away from water because I’ve never been too far away from water. My relationship with water and the proximity of water my whole life is definitely not just a subconscious decision.

I think it’s just built into my mindset and my way of life. I’ll never want to stray too far away from something that feels so close and so personal to me in every aspect of my life.