An Ecstasy of Fumbling

"An ecstasy of fumbling....."

I've been looking for the perfect photograph to illustrate this most favorite of phrases. Although I'd long attributed "an ecstasy of fumbling" to my high school English teacher as his original creation, I've learned that the phrase actually derives from an old World War I poem, Dulce Et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owens. But, please.....never mind that distraction; I'm only giving credit where credit is due.

My English teacher once described what it might feel like to be roused out of a dead sleep by the sound of loud banging at the front door, jumping out of bed only to discover nakedness. The urgency to find something, anything to use as cover, the moments ticking by, punctuated by the steady insistence of the front door made for what he described as "an ecstasy of fumbling". Indeed.

Have I lost my mind, you ask? Where is this going?

What make me smile inside is finding a photograph that captures the wildly chaotic scene perfectly. This sea of pink swimming caps shot on a Sunday morning in mid-August adorn the heads of women entering the chilly waters of Lake Washington on the first leg of the Danskin Triathlon. As these caps lurch forward to the sound of "GO", shouted out by Sally Edwards, disorganized swells of arms, legs, hearts, and minds of purpose driven women give it their best in an all out "ecstasy of fumbling" until they find their stride and place in the open water.

I've been there; I know.