A BRISK, BRACING REACTION TO LIFE
When you’re dealing with a crisis, at some point you expect life to go back to normal, so it’s hard when it doesn’t. No one should go through this challenging time alone. It may take some ingenuity to find ways to get together with family and friends, but we all need to speak and be heard.
A friend stopped by for lunch and I greeted her with a warm smile. It was a bit chilly that day, but we ate out on the back deck, in a sheltered spot.
“Sorry,” she apologized, “I just feel safer eating outdoors.”
“No big deal,” I told her. “It’s not really that cold out.”
Snow was predicted, but the leaves were still falling, rich colors of gold and red against the green pines and hemlocks. Leica watched a squirrel burying nuts in the back yard and just thumped her tail. She was getting too old to chase them.
I offered my friend some hot tea.
“Remember when we used to go to Capri for pizza on Friday nights after a game?”
“I do,” I said. “We had some great times there.”
“I can’t remember the last time I went to a restaurant,” she mused. “So much has changed. Working on my thesis, I used to do my research at the library. That’s gone. I used to go to the gym every morning. Gone. Visiting my grandma at the nursing home, every week — that’s gone too. Work’s shut down. Sometimes I forget what day it is. It feels like everything’s just gone.”
“You need to feel like yourself again,” I offered. “How about a cold shower?”
She stared at me, appalled. “Seriously?”
I nodded. “Yup. Best way to re-orient.”
She shook her head, doubtfully. “I don’t think I could make myself do it.”
“It is hard, when I first get in,” I agreed, “but after a few seconds, it feels amazing. I blast myself with about thirty seconds of cold water, then I turn on the warm water.”
“What does it do?” she wanted to know.
“It’s thermogenesis. Your body goes through all kinds of reactions in a cold shower. That blast of cold water increases your metabolism, heart rate, and respiration. Your whole body tingles. You get this quick burst of energy that makes you feel so alive.”
“Well, that sounds good,” she warmed to the idea.
“It’s not recommended for people with serious conditions, like cardiovascular issues, but for most of us, it’s very refreshing. I take a shower in the evening, and sleep like a baby afterwards. You just feel amazing, so relaxed.”
Hours later, my friend gave me a call. “Did I leave my jacket on your back deck?”
I looked outside. “Oh, yeah, you did.”
“I walked all the way home before I realized it,” she confessed. “The cold air felt so good.”
I hung her jacket in the office closet. She’d be back tomorrow. Paperwork beckoned, I had lots to do. But just for a moment, I opened the front door, closed my eyes and took a deep breath. The air was cold and crisp, with that lovely promise of snow. As I opened my eyes, it began to fall, big fat flakes covering the ground.
Just a breath of fresh air, but it felt good.