In June of this year, I started doing something I’ve never done before because it looked a little too foolish & way too miserable: swimming in the North Atlantic. The sea temperature here in the UK hovers around the 15°C / 59°F point in the height of summer and plunges down into single figures (“effing cold”) in the winter, so - it’s never what anyone would call “warm”. Unless you’re, say, Anna Brones. She goes swimming in comparable (or colder) temperatures in the Pacific Northwest all year round - and somehow makes it look fun. So since I now had someone to blame if it all went wrong (always important!), I thought I’d have a go - and I haven’t stopped since, for all the reasons Anna explains in her wonderful Outside Magazine article that went up a few weeks ago…
Sometimes obsessive curiosity leads to personal discovery. And sometimes, it’s about getting curious about what a friend, work colleague or total stranger is doing, and sticking a toe in that same water, just to see what happens.
What’s something you discovered this year, that you wish more people knew about?
I feel like I've spent this year metaphorically huddled like Murderbot watching Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon. Maybe, though, some complicated things about myself with regards to local civic and activist work and the tension between being an introvert while seeing a need for leadership. Which just ... ugh. Stupid humans.
That sounds so miserable! Do you wear a wetsuit?
I feel like I've spent this year metaphorically huddled like Murderbot watching Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon. Maybe, though, some complicated things about myself with regards to local civic and activist work and the tension between being an introvert while seeing a need for leadership. Which just ... ugh. Stupid humans.
You might like this interview -- I'd forgotten how interesting Anna Brones is until I saw your post! https://mountainandprairie.com/anna-brones/