Think Before You Speak

Yes, this ocean right here. This is where it’s going to happen. Some background: While sitting at the wonderful Christmas feast with my family, laughing and enjoying the day, someone mentioned a special event to happen on New Year’s Day, January 1. It’s called the Polar Plunge, a local event in the little village of Manzanita. Last year, according to those who know, maybe 100 people came out to participate in the drama. Many more watched as it all turned into insanity. On cue, the 100 scantily clad people ran into the ocean, to a point deep enough that each participant’s body was completely under the icy water. That’s the goal: you have to go all the way under VERY briefly and then return to the beach, a bonfire, and a stack of blankets. So, at the table, right in the middle of the Christmas meal, my Portland son laughingly said: ”Dad and I are going to do this together.” Joke. Ha. Ha. It’s hard to choke on mashed potatoes, but I came close. Then, to make matters worse, he said: ”Dad, I will if you will.” I could dramatize this and say that silence fell over the room, people gasped at the idea. But everyone knew it was a joke. They kept right on eating. It got a bit quieter in the room when I replied: ”Sure. OK.”

Where did that come from! ”Are you serious, Dad?” ”Sure, I’ll do it with you.” We went back and forth in conversation a few times and the topic finally changed, but only after I had stupidly committed myself to run into the Pacific Ocean on January 1, 2024. So, the deal is done. New Year’s Day will go down in history, my personal history, as the day when a father and a son shared a common experience, something all fathers and children should do. But this? I passed a mirror in the hallway later in the day, stopped and looked at the old man looking back at me: “You’re an idiot!” I told him.