I open my eyes and gaze at the sky. Sometimes it is a clear blue, sometimes light grey clouds cover it, and other times the glare of the setting sun glints at me. As the cold salt water of the bay surrounds and buoys me, I feel my body relaxing, weightless. The cold clears my head and I imagine all my tension and worries drifting downward to the sandy bottom, irretrievable.
There really is nothing like a winter swim and float for me. It sometimes is hard to get in, but once I’m in, I feel amazing. I’m also completely unavailable, there is no cell service or place to put an electronic device in my swimsuit, it’s just me and the water and the sky and my body. It is so quiet under water, with only the occasional deep thump of one of the pilings on the dock shifting. But all the city noise is gone, I am left with the sound of my breath in and out, and the rhythm of my heartbeat. And when I get out, I’m like a grateful and high limp noodle, though I’m completely sober.
— slowjamr
There really is nothing like a winter swim and float for me. It sometimes is hard to get in, but once I’m in, I feel amazing. I’m also completely unavailable, there is no cell service or place to put an electronic device in my swimsuit, it’s just me and the water and the sky and my body. It is so quiet under water, with only the occasional deep thump of one of the pilings on the dock shifting. But all the city noise is gone, I am left with the sound of my breath in and out, and the rhythm of my heartbeat. And when I get out, I’m like a grateful and high limp noodle, though I’m completely sober.
— slowjamr
Thanks for that brief visit into a world I've never known.
ReplyDeleteYes! The cleansing of the cold water. The wonderful isolation. The wonderful connection. The joy of being a sober limp noodle. So evocative for me. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteOh, I cannot imagine! The first moments would KILL me! Where is this bay and dock? Is the water partially frozen? The results seem worth it, and are well-described! (Macoff)
ReplyDelete