For my twelfth Memory Monday, I am going to write about something that is very relevant to the week coming up. I am going to write about something that I hope to never relive. It was the worst Polar Bear Plunge I've ever done, back in 2010.
Every Super Bowl Sunday, the Make-a-Wish Foundation runs a fundraiser, in which over 25,000 people go jump into the very cold Atlantic Ocean, down in Long Beach. It is so much fun to take part in this, and another fun part is to collect all of the sweatshirts throughout the years. It is such a great cause, and the powerful thought behind it is that the pain of these few moments after the initial dive, is nothing like the pain of the children with cancer, that you are helping with this fundraiser.
Every year has been pretty easy, last year was so warm, I wasn't numb, and went back in a second and third time. It has been great for all of them... except one. 2010 was the worst one by far, and here is why...
The outside temperature was 25 degrees and it was cloudy, so there was no Sun to help you out. I was very excited to do it, as it was my third time going in. When we got onto the boardwalk, and started down to the sand, it dropped almost ten degrees. The water was below freezing, and in the stagnant parts of the ocean, as well as right next to the rock dunes jutting off of the shore, there was ice building up on them. As we got down to the shore, and started getting ready, you take your boots and stuff off first to get the feet numb. Each grain of sand is like a knife citing into your feet. Plus add the two to three inches of icy, snow on the ground, from the previous nights snowfall.
As we kept removing more and more clothing, the temperature got lower and lower. As we were about to jump in, it was around 10 degrees outside and 25 in the water. We jumped in, and immediately went numb. I could barely run out of the water, as I had no control of my feet. When I got out, there were small pieces of ice that were stuck to the hairs of my legs. I quickly dried off, and got my new dry clothes on. What I do every time is I wear the old sweatshirt from the year before, before I go in, and then when I get out, I wear the new one. I refuse to wear the new one before, because I don't want to wear the sweatshirt, without diving in for that year.
I got back to normal body temperature about an hour or so after I got out. That has been the worst one so far, and I will be doing my ninth one, this coming Sunday. I will write about that one later that afternoon.
Have you ever done something similar to the Jones Beach Polar Bear Plunge? Would you ever want to do this? Would you jump in, or just give a donation instead, or, would you do both?
DGS
Quotes of the Day: "Happiness is not a matter of intensity, but of balance, order, rhythm, and harmony." - Thomas Merton
"I live on a one-way street, that is also a dead-end street. I'm not sure how I got there!" - Steven Wright (I like this one, because I live on a dead end street!)
"Nothing will work, unless you do!" - Maya Angelou