The ice crust was much thicker than in previous days,
and it’s colder than yesterday or the rest of the week, even though the sun is shining.
As we open a hole in the ice, I realize I’m not thinking about anything because I know that whatever crosses my mind at this moment will have a huge impact on how my body reacts.
We prepare ourselves and step onto the ice for the 16th consecutive day.
It was much worse than all the other days. Colder, the ice layer was thicker, and even getting our bodies between the ice chunks was more difficult, as if there was no room for us among the ice.
I sink down as I exhale. I sit. I breathe. And I continue without thinking. The 3 minutes we’ve been practicing daily pass, and we get out of the ice bath. My ice-plunging companion says something that sends me into a daydream:
“Wow, how serene they are.”
We didn’t complain, we didn’t fight against it, and we didn’t show any signs of discomfort during our challenge. I replied: “Of course, 16 days later, we had to get used to it.”
But did we really? And how many other bad and uncomfortable things do we end up “getting used to,” normalizing, or becoming familiar with?
Human beings, and species in general, need to adapt to survive. It’s necessary for this instinct to be in our DNA so that life can continue on Earth.
But have you ever wondered what negative things about yourself or the situations around you are freezing, and you are CHOOSING to adapt to them?
How many things do we leave as they are out of familiarity, laziness, or even lack of understanding?
Which ice baths is it time for me to stop stepping into every day?
