Monday was the Winter Solstice marking the shortest day and longest night of the year. For this Summer lovin’ lady it’s just a little moment in Winter that gives me a glimmer of hope that the warm sunshine is on its way.
Our Summer Squad ladies decided to celebrate with a walk on Long Beach and a Winter Splash.
We met at dawn in a blustery Northerly wind for our walk along the beach to the big log. This is becoming a tradition that I’m learning from these awesome ladies who have been a part of the Summer Squad (Bootcamp) for 12 years running. I’m relatively new to the bunch but feel so at home after the last 6 months.
We walked the damp beach as the dawn was breaking and the sun cast an orange glow over the wet sand.
The last few hundred meters were glorious as the sun cast its rays over the foot holed sand. The sun didn’t even feel warm on this winter morning. Although the northerly was blowing it’s one of our warmer winds the precede a rainy storm.
At this moment I am thankful for the freedom to walk on a beach that for months last year had been locked down and banned. As we face more restrictions looming I’m praying our beaches and fresh air will remain open.
We walked back and stripped to our swim suits to take the chilly plunge into the stormy sea.
You can’t think about it. You’ve just gotta run in and get wet. The most shocking thing is that the water was actually warmer than usual. Our water tends to do that, although it’s rough and stormy, it’s warmer in Winter. And when it looks crystal blue and perfect in Summer it’s usually devastatingly cold!
What a way to ring out the shortest day.
I hope you get a chance to take a breath, refresh your soul and look for the glimmer of light on the horizon this week. You deserve beauty in your life.
Here’s to 3 more months of hot chocolate bundling up in our blankets by the fire while we wait for the warm weather to return.