Fifty years ago, my parents traveled to the Caucasian Mineral Waters. The mountains, the narzans, the clear air, and the long walks... Apparently, this is where my story began. Back then, I was a rather microscopic creature with a tail, but I was probably quite fast. According to biology, the fertilizing speed of a sperm cell is around 25 meters per second. This means that I was swimming much faster back then than I am now. Half a century has passed, and I have returned to these places, but not as a life force, but as a person with experience, a well-established destiny, and thousands of kilometers of water behind me. I have returned to swim again. However, this time it's not about swimming in millimeters, but in meters, and it's not about pushing competitors for survival, but about mastering the techniques of the front crawl and butterfly. But it's still about speed! It's as if the first start I made here half a century ago has been rekindled. There's something symbolic about it. Once upon a time, I fought for the right to be born, and now I'm fighting for the right to be faster than myself.
Interestingly, a year ago, I was swimming faster in terms of seconds. However, this time it's different - it's lighter, more meaningful, and without excessive tension or pushing myself to the limit. It's as if returning to the starting point doesn't require proof, but rather requires acceptance of oneself.
The Caucasian Mountains seem to be the same. The air seems to be as clear as ever. In this clarity, it becomes particularly evident that life is not a linear progression but a series of returns. Sometimes, it's a return to the roots, and sometimes, it's a return to oneself.
p.s. This essay is not about "I won," but rather about "I understood." It's about the state where the outcome aligns with the strategy, whereas usually, the strategy justifies the outcome. However, this time, it's not just about a successful start, but rather about realizing that speed is attainable without excessive exertion, marking the beginning of my preparation for the 2027 World Championships. It's also significant that this happened in the place where my life may have begun.
The only one of the three places on the planet covered with snow on the equator is Mount Irian Jaya. Along with other mountains it seizes the Baliem valley around the perimeter while I’m seized with the feeling of being carried to the primeval world...
International Festival in Travel and Tourism named after N.N. Miklouho-Maclay "Russian traveler" was held in Orel.
My lecture "Diagnosis: The Traveler", planned in three parts, one for each day of the festival, was received with interest by world-famous travelers. But, as they say, tell God about your plans and he will laugh - and it happened. The third part, in my opinion the most important, because of the time-bound regulation was not brought to the listeners. However, in this there was a plus, as this is the best reason to continue the relationship outside the festival and breaking the boundaries, regardless of the distance to complete the scheduled. Let's do it, my friends!
I don't remember any names. I don't know who these children have become. I don't know which of them is in school today, who is already working, who is raising younger brothers and sisters, and who has long been swept away by a road that we don't even know exists. But I remember their eyes.
Application of this method allows to make a quantitative and functional characteristic of all the skin constituent elements for use in diagnosis.
