Polar Bear Plunge (And Days, and Days, and daze!)
Kind greetings and a hearty Happy New Year to you, my dear reader. In case you were wondering if today was anything more than just plain old New Years Day, it’s also National Polar Bear Plunge Day, National Hangover Day, World Day of Peace, Apple Gifting Day, Commitment Day, Copyright Law Day, Ellis Island Day, Euro Day, Global Family Day, International Public Domain Day, National Bloody Mary Day, National Shepard Day, and Ring a Bell Day.
If that list seems long, please note that my extensive listing is not all inclusive! I’ve left off the Solemnity of Mary, First-Foot Day, New Year’s Dishonor List Day, Bonza Bottler Day, Handsel Monday, and Z Day. I’m not sure, at a glance, what those days are about, so I’m guessing they are pretty obscure to you too.
Since it’s the first of the year, there are also a number of “weeks” starting today: Celebration of Life Week, Diet Resolution Week, and New Years Resolutions Week are among the highlights. Then there are “months” and there’s lots of those too: Celebration of Life Month, Cervical Health Awareness Month, Dry January, Ginuary, Veganuary, Manuary, Unchain a Dog Month, and Walk Your Dog Month, among others…
As I write this morning, I’m watching the Rose Bowl Parade with my wife, an annual event on January 1st. Finally, I’ll watch football later, Citrus Bowl, Rose Bowl, and Sugar Bowl until the last down of today’s last game.
It’s also the start of the World Series of Beer Pong. I can’t forget the Beer Pong…
Polar Bear Plunge anyone?
That’s quite a day/week/month. Beyond just being a fresh start for a new year, there are reasons that the first day of January rocks. I’m here to talk about a particular one of those days/events, the National Polar Bear Plunge Day.
How do you participate?
Taking the plunge is quite simple, jump into some deep icy cold water, preferably on January 1st. That’s it, that’s all there is, you are done. As tough as that sounds, I think that’s that’s the easy part. Deciding to take the Polar Bear Plunge is one thing, actually doing it is another!
First there’s entering the water. Some ease in, some jump in with both feet, in that way it’s a lot like life. Then it’s time for your body to realize that you are immersed in water hovering just above freezing. So get the fuck out of the water and get warm.
Just so you understand the risk inherent in the Polar Bear Plunge, if you stay in freezing water too long you will die. I’m warning you, once you are dead it’s already too late to blame a monster. Your silly ass jumped into the freezing water, not me!
Icy Polar Bear Plunge for Monster?
Do I see a Polar Bear Plunge in Monster’s future? Yes, with a single caveat.
I don’t think my three back surgeries would impair my ability to jump into freezing cold water. But, I would have to be cleared for a Polar Bear Plunge by my cardiologist because I’m carrying a total of 7 stents around my heart, apparently jumping into icy water may be a no-go for someone with heart disease. It’s my understanding the an icy plunge may be one of the things I can no longer do. We’ll see…
To be honest, I’m open to a lot of things I might not have anticipated, having turned 60 within the last year. I’m going on an Alaska cruise later this year, and I’m signed up for a seaplane plane ride over 5 glaciers, a helicopter ride followed by a glacier walk (with crampons), whale watching, (bigass) Brown Brown sightseeing, and a rafting/float adventure, not to mention a 4×4 nature safari, and an afternoon of sea kayaking.
I’m thinking that list is comprehensive except for a walk in a butterfly garden I’ll be taking with my girl in Victoria, BC. She’ll be with me for whale watching and the 4×4 nature drive as well, but the other three activities were a bit outside of her comfort zone. So she’ll be spending an afternoon of Whales and Lighthouse Tales, as well as another at Totem Bight State Park and a lumberjack show. Finally, rather than view the Mendenhall Glacier up-close and personal like I plan to do, she’ll take it in from a distance as well as tour world-class gardens in Juneau.
Of course…there’s always more (until there ain’t!)
That is part of my plan for my best possible 2024. There’s more too, and, I’m still negotiating some of those details with girl. Despite my wanderlust, I always strive to make sure girl’s either literally, or figuratively, on board with my plans. Since I no longer drive, it’s pretty important that she remain on board, or the grand destination of my endeavors will be walking to the post office and back home.
With that said, I do have her absolute approval for a serious road trip with our son later this spring. It’s going to be epic!
