Contrived distortion

During a recent hike, I noticed a seal swimming near shore in the swift Deception Pass current. The seal appeared to be paralleling my course, swimming effortlessly into the current but only making marginal headway before transitioning to his version of backstroke and moving quickly with the water’s flow.

The seal was carefree and enjoying himself, playing like a child. What allowed the seal to ignore worries, not being concerned with his next meal or getting hit by a passing boat, not driven...