reasons to wear a bathing suit

When the warmth of summer wakes up the rivers and lakes, all I want to do is swim and chew on watermelon. I spend twelve months of the year dreaming of putting my head under water and counting the little fishes as they go by. There is nothing in this world as freeing to me as the feeling of swimming in a natural pool of water while cicadas chirp in the distant tall grass. I could never imagine missing out on this feeling only to hide my legs or the shape of my belly — how sad is the frown on a face of those who are too afraid to jump into the water.

It is never easy for most of us to run outside in our bathing suits. We know by doing so, we are revealing our winter hid skin, our bruises, our rolls, our mismatched colors, and our shapes. We often worry so much that we end up saying no to invitations to swim or rest in the sun. I don't believe it is fair for us to miss out on joy simply because our bodies are human bodies. Let us swim and be happy we're alive to do so!

Reasons to wear a bathing suit:

• Swimming is fun. It's the kind of fun we had as children running through sprinkles or hearing the ice cream truck roll by. How often in a lifetime do we get to revisit our childlike sense of play and joy?
• If you're feeling awkward or uncomfortable in your bathing suit, chances are high whoever you are with feels the same way too. Self love is contagious, if you put on your bathing suit and splash into the water, your friend might want to jump in too. Soon after, you'll be splashing, laughing, and forgetting why you were ever hesitant in the first place.
• If you continue to feel awkward, maybe you're just not wearing the right bathing suit for you. I spent years feeling horrible in bikinis, they felt restricting when I wanted to swim and I spent more time worrying about my strap coming undone or my bottoms falling off then I did swimming. Find a bathing suit that makes you feel good to be in it.
• Here is a strange fact of life, but most people don't care about us as much as we think. Strangers at the lake are not waiting for you to show your skin so they can count how many bruises or scars make a home on your legs. They are at the lake to swim, to be in the sunshine, and to enjoy life. You should be there for the same reasons.
• Try talking to yourself like you'd talk to a friend. If your friend said "I can't go swimming because I hate the way I look in a bathing suit." You'd probably feel sad to see them missing out. Treat yourself like you'd treat your friend. If you don't like the thought of hearing your friend say awful things about themselves, why is it okay for you to say these things in the mirror?
• Every second is a second closer to your last breath. If you were told you had four months to live, would you be satisfied knowing you kept yourself from the joy of swimming all because of marks on the skin like belly folds or stretch marks? Life is a flash in the pan. We are one huckleberry out of one million forests. — Let us swim in our crooked bodies, let us grin as we hear our hearts pounding below the water, let us be alive and not feel afraid to swim until our legs grow tired.

There will be a giveaway for readers to win your own bathing suit from Lime Ricki through my Instagram. It will be posted shortly, visit me there for more details. Happy summertime swims to you and yours!

 

The Outfit

Bathing suit – Lime Ricki
White slip – A Vintage Affair (local)

The Location

My Backyard

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