cheap thrills

I have been swimming with the same pair of goggles for over ten years. My habit of not spending money unless it is absolutely essential, like rent, food and transit fares, is deeply embedded.

In recent months, with my goggles both leaking a bit and the lenses so badly scratched that I wasn't able to see through them, I kept swimming with them for months without thinking "I should be a new pair."

Duh.

I have a new pair of blue tinted speedo goggles. A mere fifteen dollars. I have never bought tinted lenses before but the blue of these new ones is virtually the same color of the blue lining the pool, so when I swim, it doesn't seem like there is any tinting. It just looks like the blue water. And these new babies use the light tint to protect my eyes from sunlight.

I love swimming the backstroke a few laps so I can see the sun and feel it on my face. I feel it all over with the other strokes. And I do a very slow backstroke. I had taken to avoiding the backstroke to keep the sun out of my eyes with my old, worn-out, clear goggles.

Now, with top-of-the-line, perfect-for-me goggles, I am a happier swimmer. A happier person.

Cheap thrills, eh?