The first swim of the year

There's a very specific moment, water up to your knees, when your body says no. It doesn't matter how old you are or how many times you've done it before: it always shows up.

The interesting part is that it's almost never about the cold. It's about change. About leaving the place where you were dry and comfortable for one where you're not in control of anything.

And then the usual thing happens: you get in, take two breaths, and within ten seconds you can't remember what the problem was. The water's fine. It was fine from the start.

We like that lesson because it doesn't stay on the beach. Almost everything you dread starting feels a lot like the first swim of the year.