And They All Cheered for Me....

Today I participated in a Polar Plunge. A friend that was to do it with me had to go out of town at the last minute so I went solo. This particular polar plunge was very team based. I did not know that when I signed up to participate. It did benefit the Special Olympics and was sponsored by law enforcement around the area. There were all types of teams....and then there was me. My husband came as moral support...and my own personal photographer but he was not plunging.

I got into the queue for the plunge. When I had checked in, they had said that I could ask the teams around me if I could plunge with them so I wouldn't have to be alone. Honestly, I thought about it but I did not want to get into the middle of their moment and I did not realize that EVERYONE was part of a team.

So, team after team was announced and they plunged away. People in costumes, law enforcement teams, family members of Special Olympians all went. It was fun to watch people (although mostly I was just anxiously awaiting my turn). I decided that I had to do it on my own. When I got to the front of the line, I told them it was just me on the team. The announcer embraced it and got the crowd cheering me on. So I plunged. It was COLD COLD COLD but I did it.

The water was not deep so you had to make an effort to get under the water. When I did, the freezing temperature of the water (38 Fahrenheit) took my breath away and it kind of scared me. But I got up, high fived one of the firemen, and left the water. I completed my first ever polar plunge....and everyone cheered for me. It was an extreme step out of my comfort zone...but isn't that what my lifestyle changes have been about over the past few years.

I can't wait to do my next one!