Polar Plunge

Even on a warm, sunny summer day in Nantucket when the water is in the 70’s, I don’t always go for a dip.  So what in G-d’s name possessed me to jump in the frigid water with waves breaking and the wind howling at the end of November?  Some of my family had done the polar plunge four years ago and didn’t hesitate to repeat the feat.  I didn’t want to miss out on the excitement and the group bonding.  I didn’t allow myself to over analyze - I just put on my bathing suit, grabbed a towel and hopped in the car.  There was simply no time to hesitate with this group.  As soon as the warm, cozy car was in park, out we jumped, peeling off hats, coats and boots.  We paused for a nanosecond for a group photo, and then pure chaos.  Hither and thither we jumped, waded, flipped into the waves doing our best to completely submerge ourselves in 2 feet of water (it was shallow near shore). Our “plunge” was just that - in and out.  But those mere seconds ended up having a lasting effect.  For me, I proved to myself that I could do something I didn’t think I had the courage to do.  And I did it again the very next day.