POLAR BEAR SWIM
Dusk, friends, the beach, and biting cold. There is nothing that will make you feel more alive than a dunk in freezing water.
Our group finds themselves celebrating a cleansing of the old, and a bringing in of the new. The moment we are dropped into is right after our decision of “let’s.”. They are sprinting into the frigid cold of the winter water for a polar bear plunge.
They only have their winter hats and swimwear on, lit by the light of a homemade torch plucked from their beach bonfire. They sprint towards the shore. We can see fog from their breath. They make it waist deep and dunk into the water, splashing, smiling, and gasping from the cold as it hits their lungs.
Beneath the laughs and the joy, we can sense the significance of this moment for them as friends. This moment is as meaningful as it is ridiculous. Holding each other for warmth as they exit the water, we feel with them the joy of absolute catharsis. Let’s let go.