Claire

When I was younger, I never watched from the sidelines; I was in the game. But as my children grew and jobs changed and we moved to a town where we knew no one, I felt a powerful need for community and connection. I’d somehow become someone who was ambling along the perimeter. I stumbled upon Libby on Instagram and was immediately intrigued by the idea of cold water dipping, especially after devouring - and then re-reading - Katherine May’s “Wintering.” So I took the plunge (literally) and showed up one stormy grey day to jump in the ocean in the middle of a Nor’Easter with a group of strangers. It was terrifying and uncomfortable and thrilling. I wanted to keep doing it until all I was left with was the thrilling part. So I did. And soon I craved it - the frigid cold, the numb toes, the shivering, and especially the giggles. I realized I’d stopped giggling. And I didn’t only become part of a community that I’d admired from afar, I also found my chosen family.