"Close to Dissolving"

Artist Statement:

Daily swimming made my body feel almost soluble, but gradually my pain came close to dissolving. By then my identity was also close to dissolving, with all the years of neglecting my normal life while dealing with my back pain. But very slowly, almost imperceptibly, I began to feel better. I will never know whether the swimming was responsible, or merely kept me from going insane while my back healed naturally. My pain level is now down to where I can almost ignore it, with occasional flare-ups to remind me of the horrible ten year ordeal I went through.