The pool seems particularly nurturing today. I feel as though I could easily melt into its surface texture. "What," I pondered, "would I liken it to?" Velvet perhaps, or a bowl of whipping cream, or maybe a soft blanket woven of the finest alpaca wool, like the textiles that I saw in the markets in Peru.

Softness can have many meanings but the most common attributes are the qualities of yielding, permissiveness, leniency, and mildness. Compared to stone or metal or glass, water itself is soft, yet even water has its "hard water" days. Today, more than anything else, the water is gentle. I am at home here, and we find it easy to be together, the pool and I.

What are your relationships like? With water? With people? With place? Is your life soft or hard? Which do you prefer? Pondering these distinctions allows us to arrive at the desired balance. I hope you find some moments to experience a touch of softness in your life today. In the meantime, may you enjoy this e-caress.