Jan. 18, 2022 - About a year ago I took my first cold water swim in Lake Champlain. It was amazing! I tried to keep that going, but it takes time to get to the lake, and it's a bit of a hassle. This year I have started to find the cold water experience by taking cold showers. I originally thought that was a stupid idea and why would anyone want to do that. But, then I saw that it was a way to have the cold swim experience, at least a bit.

What I've been doing is setting my timer on my phone for three minutes. I turn the shower on cold and "take a shower" until the timer goes off. After that I'll turn the shower to hot and take a normal shower for another ten minutes to warm up...because I'm freezing. :-)

This morning I decided I was only going to do the cold part. I set my alarm and got in the shower. Some days it feels not to extreme, but getting in the shower today, through chattering teeth, I said out loud, "THIS IS COLD!" I quickly soaped up and finished showering and then I decided to look at my clock. I had a minute and half left...bummer.

I decided to stand facing the showered and breath. I started to repeat to myself, "it's only water...it's only water." I instantly relaxed, smiled, and enjoyed the feeling of being present and truly experiencing what it was like to be in the water. The alarm went off, and I stayed in another 30 seconds.

In life, lots of things can feel huge and bigger than they really, but actually...It's Only Water.