The Plunge
The Plunge
There's a trend going around our community that my children first participated in weeks ago called The Polar Plunge Challenge. Each plunger nominates/calls out 5 additional plungers. You have 24 hours to complete your plunge if called out or you must make a donation to charity. And it goes on and on with the kids until recently some adults became nominated.
I was called out and completed my plunge. It was slightly ridiculous and I knew that. I got a kick out of watching my boys having so much silly fun but I was apprehensive to be so silly myself. Everything in my life has been so serious for so long I think, in a lot of ways, I almost forgot how to be silly.
Saturday, I ran just shy of 13 miles with my friend Robyn ( who called me out ) and another runner, Becky. Somewhere between miles 8-10 I was thinking about my schedule for the day and decided I just wanted to get the plunge over with as soon as we finished the run. My legs were sore and I began to try to clinically assess any risks in diving into the still icey cold Long Island sound after running 13 miles. I concluded it was probably safe enough and with Becky kindly recording the event, I called out my 5 people and took the plunge still dressed in my running attire.
I turned and ran towards the water. For a moment I felt the rocks and shells stabbing the bottoms of my feet and I wanted to step carefully but I knew I needed to run and plunge if I was actually going to do thisand so that's what I did! For a moment I thought, "what the hell am I doing? This is ridiculous!" And immediately after that I thought, " oh what the hell, why not?!" When I hit the water I dipped under fast and popped myself right back up. When I came up half in shock from the cold, I was also laughing. I ran up the beach to get my towel imagining how ridiculous I must look. But I was laughing and it felt so good to be so silly for a minute. It was like serious Bridget ran in and plunged and silly, nonsensical Bridget popped up, shedding a little bit of the seriousness of life in the icey salt water.
I remember in high school English classes reading several coming of age novels like The Catcher In The Rye. I remember carefully dissecting the literary importance of the moment a child becomes an adult, the loss of innocence. What if life gives us a second reverse coming of age, a rediscovering of innocence in small ways and moments.....the moment an adult may or may not choose to briefly and naturally ( meaning without drugs or alcohol) rediscovers that lost innocence? One of the reasons I love love love working with young children is watching them learn, the look in their eyes as they learn something new, it's the wonder sparkling from their eyes. The plunge was one of these moments for me, having the courage to plunge in, be silly, and get a little sparkle in my eye for just a moment before returning to the seriousness of adulthood.
The plunge lightened my mood for the rest of the day. It feels so good to be silly. I hope to find ways to plunge into nonsense and silliness everyday! Afterall, why should the kids have all the fun!?! With the way this works, I wonder how far The Plunge will travel before summer warms things up too much. If you get "called out" run and plunge! If not into the sound or ocean, just plunge into a moment of nonsense and ridiculousness.... Laugh and live!
There's a trend going around our community that my children first participated in weeks ago called The Polar Plunge Challenge. Each plunger nominates/calls out 5 additional plungers. You have 24 hours to complete your plunge if called out or you must make a donation to charity. And it goes on and on with the kids until recently some adults became nominated.
I was called out and completed my plunge. It was slightly ridiculous and I knew that. I got a kick out of watching my boys having so much silly fun but I was apprehensive to be so silly myself. Everything in my life has been so serious for so long I think, in a lot of ways, I almost forgot how to be silly.
Saturday, I ran just shy of 13 miles with my friend Robyn ( who called me out ) and another runner, Becky. Somewhere between miles 8-10 I was thinking about my schedule for the day and decided I just wanted to get the plunge over with as soon as we finished the run. My legs were sore and I began to try to clinically assess any risks in diving into the still icey cold Long Island sound after running 13 miles. I concluded it was probably safe enough and with Becky kindly recording the event, I called out my 5 people and took the plunge still dressed in my running attire.
I turned and ran towards the water. For a moment I felt the rocks and shells stabbing the bottoms of my feet and I wanted to step carefully but I knew I needed to run and plunge if I was actually going to do thisand so that's what I did! For a moment I thought, "what the hell am I doing? This is ridiculous!" And immediately after that I thought, " oh what the hell, why not?!" When I hit the water I dipped under fast and popped myself right back up. When I came up half in shock from the cold, I was also laughing. I ran up the beach to get my towel imagining how ridiculous I must look. But I was laughing and it felt so good to be so silly for a minute. It was like serious Bridget ran in and plunged and silly, nonsensical Bridget popped up, shedding a little bit of the seriousness of life in the icey salt water.
I remember in high school English classes reading several coming of age novels like The Catcher In The Rye. I remember carefully dissecting the literary importance of the moment a child becomes an adult, the loss of innocence. What if life gives us a second reverse coming of age, a rediscovering of innocence in small ways and moments.....the moment an adult may or may not choose to briefly and naturally ( meaning without drugs or alcohol) rediscovers that lost innocence? One of the reasons I love love love working with young children is watching them learn, the look in their eyes as they learn something new, it's the wonder sparkling from their eyes. The plunge was one of these moments for me, having the courage to plunge in, be silly, and get a little sparkle in my eye for just a moment before returning to the seriousness of adulthood.
The plunge lightened my mood for the rest of the day. It feels so good to be silly. I hope to find ways to plunge into nonsense and silliness everyday! Afterall, why should the kids have all the fun!?! With the way this works, I wonder how far The Plunge will travel before summer warms things up too much. If you get "called out" run and plunge! If not into the sound or ocean, just plunge into a moment of nonsense and ridiculousness.... Laugh and live!
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