The Miracle of Swim #100: When Lost Becomes Found

I‘m quite literally at a loss for words. After pouring my heart into a blog post about losing the recording of my milestone 100th swim and creating a YouTube video documenting swim #101 as my “recorded milestone,” something utterly unexpected happened.

I found the missing recording.

The Emotional Rollercoaster 🎢

The discovery came after I had already processed the loss, accepted it, and found meaning in the experience. I had written reflectively about attachment to documentation, the beauty of imperfection, and the lessons learned from technological disappointment.

All of which still stands true—but with a rather ironic twist.

Perhaps the universe has a sense of humour after all? Or maybe this is simply a testament to how quickly we can create narratives around our experiences before having all the facts.

The Discovery Moment 💡

After publishing both the blog post and YouTube video for swim #101, I was organising files on my iPhone and discovered a video clip I had previously overlooked.

At just 13 minutes and 20 seconds long, I had dismissed it because I remembered recording for over an hour at the beach that magical Thursday morning.

My expectations of what the “milestone recording” should look like—lengthy, comprehensive, capturing every moment of that perfect sunrise—had blinded me to what was actually preserved.

But there it was. A shorter-than-expected but perfectly intact recording showing my entry into the water at 3:05 and my exit at 9:55. The key moments—the actual 100th swim itself—had been captured all along.

The Perfect Imperfection ✨

The irony isn’t lost on me. Just days after writing about finding peace with imperfection, I discovered that the “perfect” recording I thought I’d lost was an “imperfect” recording that I’d overlooked.

The footage doesn’t contain the hour of post-swim reflection I thought I’d captured. It doesn’t show the full drama of the sunrise unfolding. It’s shorter, and less comprehensive than what I intended to record.

But it contains the essence: swim #100 itself, documented for posterity.

What Happens Next? 🤔

This unexpected discovery leaves me with an interesting dilemma. Do I:

1. Remove my previous blog post about losing the footage and pretend this emotional journey never happened.
2. Update the YouTube title and description for swim #101, potentially confusing viewers.
3. Embrace this twist as part of the larger story and share both recordings.

After reflection, the answer seems clear. This journey—from loss to acceptance to unexpected discovery—is now part of my sea swimming story. The emotions were real, the lessons valuable, and the surprise ending added a dimension I couldn’t have scripted.

Lessons Reinforced 📚

This experience has reinforced several important lessons:

1. Check thoroughly before declaring something lost — Technology can be confusing, and our assumptions about what we’re looking for can blind us to what’s there.
2. The story is rarely finished — Just when we think we’ve reached a conclusion and learned the lesson, life often adds another chapter.
3. Imperfection remains beautiful — Even though I found the recording, it wasn’t what I’d envisioned. And that’s perfectly okay.
4. Transparency matters — Rather than quietly replacing content and pretending the emotional journey never happened, sharing the full story—twists and all—feels more authentic.

The Plan Moving Forward 🏊🏾‍♂️

I’ve decided to:

1. Keep this blog post and the previous one about “losing” the footage as companion pieces.
2. Upload the newly discovered swim #100 footage to YouTube with an honest title explaining the mix-up.
3. Add an update to the swim #101 video description explaining this unexpected development.

After all, if my journey of sea swimming has taught me anything, it’s that the unexpected—be it a sudden wave, a change in weather, or a technological surprise—is part of what makes the experience rich and meaningful.

Has something like this ever happened to you? Have you ever mourned the loss of something important, only to discover it was there all along, just not in the form you expected? I’d love to hear your stories in the comments below.

Until the next dip (which is officially #102 now!)…