So, I am in NYC right now being hosted by my amazing sister and brother-in-law (Lisa and Aaron - two people that I appreciate more than anything and can't say enough nice things about) and seeing lots of friends and family. It's been a ton of fun so far and I have another week here before I go home.
When you are sitting on the couch, and your sister throws out the old "Oh, the Southampton Polar Bear Plunge is this weekend" and she mentions that your BIL might have interest, what do you do? Well, if you're me, you shout "I'm in" and you do it. Plunging into freezing cold water AND brother-in-law bonding? SIGN ME UP (just Aaron and I were dumb enough to do it but we had a great support team with Mom and Lisa. Mom was in charge of broad-scale photography and Lisa was VP of Towel Strategy - a key role for plunger support).
It was for a great cause, to help with a lot of social needs on the eastern end of Long Island. It's easy to make jokes about, I did, until I realized the difference that it could make in the lives of the non-rich and famous. The charity we did this for, Heart of the Hamptons, feeds people, educates them, assists the elderly, helps with healthcare etc. I don't make jokes anymore, they are doing a lot of good.
The event was packed, my guess is 700 - 1,000 people. People were in costumes, bikinis, speedos, and everything else (no naked, you know, shrinkage...). Big countdown, horn sounds, and a mad rush towards the water. A few steps, dive in to go under and run out screaming (Video below).
It wasn't as bad as the anticipation of it was. It was a beautiful day, and the air was colder than the water. The entire thing was over in under two minutes.
No great lessons in this one, other than my continued desire to almost always say "yes" to anything anyone suggests. I am not sure what's next on the adventure/stupidity list, but this was a really fun and great one.