Taking the Plunge

This summer I have been so over the pool. I don't know if it's the crowd, the chlorine, the "code brown" we were witness to last year, or what's keeping me away, but this year we've been all about Cottage Grove Lake.

There's really nothing quite like lake swimming in Oregon, is there? It's so brisk and refreshing. In other words, the water can be icy-effing-cold. But we Oregonians soldier on! Into the frigid water we jump- all in the name of aquatic fun! In fact, I remember being a kid and swimming in the ocean at Newport year round! (Um, why did my parents let us do this? Hadn't they ever heard of hypothermia?!)

But CG Lake is actually pretty warm. Not freshly-peed-in-Amazon-Pool-warm, but warm enough to wade into and work up the courage to take that courageous first plunge in a relatively short time.






Some childless friends of ours were recently talking about waiting for that elusive "perfect time" to start a family. I think it's just like working your way into that lake- sometimes you just have to take the plunge, hold your breath, and wait till you break the surface. It's beautiful up here.


In addition to a predisposition to swim in frigid waters, I have also inherited the uniquely Oregonian trait of actually liking it when the clouds start to roll in at the end of the summer. I know. It's weird.

And Monday morning will find me back at work. My other life. The one where I don't get to spend every waking minute with my kids, driving out to the lake on a whim, picking blackberries until my hands are purple and my feet are brown, strolling by the river to find respite from the heat, having to take the compost out three times a day because I am so busy in the kitchen, sewing little pirate pants and shorts for little boys who love pirates, and falling into bed with the sun's heat wrapped around my shoulders like a warm blanket.

And yet. It is a good life, this other one. I do love what I do.

But still.

It's that plunge again.

And so I dive, headfirst, eyes closed, and breath held.

It will be okay.

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