4th of July Weekend Pier Swim (double) & "Why I Swim?"

It was hot Sunday so everybody went to the beach. I went late-about 6PM-and still parked about five blocks away. The water was WARM. It was about 70 degrees, I'd guess. The tide was medium and the waves were small. It was a beautiful day for swimming out there-glassy. Yes-glassy. You don't get to say glassy that often. I had my fins on but didn't need them swimming north to south. However, I felt good and decided to swim back. I ran into a fairly strong current on the return trip. It surprised me-the water being so calm but moving kinda' secretly southward. I was past the pier, south of it, and swimming away. Out of the corner of my eye as I swam it gradually hit me that I was swimmin' and swimmin' and the pier just wasn't getting closer to me like it should have. I'm kinda' slow in the head, and finally I realized that I wasn't going anywhere so I had to put the fins to work and really PULL hard to get around the pier. It worked me. That current thing is puzzling. I was seriously considering turning around and getting out on the south side when I was off the end of the pier but there was a whole crowd of fishermen and beachgoers checking me out. I just know they were all saying to each other, "You think he's gonna' make it?" "No way. He's been swimming for ten minutes and hardly moved ten feet!" And how about "Hey Daddy, that guy sure is slow, huh?" "Yep, he's one slow swimmer, no doubt, honey." I'm not putting up with that stuff. I got my tired, old butt in gear. I DO love those Churchill fins! After all was said and done it was a GREAT swim!
An unfortunate aside in my trip occurred when I was walking to the beach, I saw five teenage boys skateboarding two blocks from the water. They were what I might call "Trouble in the making." A couple of smokers, blocking the sidewalk, looking bored, hanging near a trouble Motel. I stopped and asked them, "How come you guys ain't in the water-surfin' or something?"
Now, I don't know why automatically or subconsciously I came out with the word "ain't" but that's what I said. I only realized it a few minutes later, as I replayed the brief conversation in my head.
"We don't have any money," one of the young men said to me, making eye contact with me. "Surfboards cost a lot of money." Another boy said, "We skate." I felt bad for the guys. I just sorta' nodded my head and said, "That's a bummer." We went back and forth with pretty much the same comments and I continued on with a, "See ya' guys. Take care."
So, it did make me kinda' sad that these young men didn't have much to do except wait for trouble, while this gorgeous beach was two-hundred yards away. Life isn't fair. Not for these kids. So, on my swim out I just thought about them and wondered how could one help such kids. Could I look for old board and wet suit donations for such kids? Could I talk to them when I next see them and get them interested in ocean swimming? Even a boogie board and fins cost money...
I'll probably do nothing, though. I get ideas but I'm not good at the work necessary to implement them. Too lazy. I need lots of free time to keep my sanity. Out past the breakers there are no world problems to fret about-nothing is urgent out there but staying above water and returning alive. It's a mind cleansing-a temporary reprieve from the mundane worries that life presents. That's why I swim, I suppose.