It was winter, it was Switzerland, it was cold. It was a few days ago. And I was standing there almost naked, outside on a dock in the middle of Lake Geneva. In the distance, the lights of Christmas and New Years still twinkling, garlanding shops and hotels in a show-offy look-at-me way. On the sidewalks in front, pedestrians strolled, swaddled in wool and fur.
And there I was…..exposed. I stood on the edge of the water gazing at the steps leading in. A jump would have been better, would have been easier. Like a clean slice of the knife that doesn’t hurt until afterwards. But jumping wasn’t an option. No. I had to walk in, one step at a time. And so I did. One step down and then another and another, quickly, quickly. And then I dove in, head first.
The water was like an electric shock. My head surfaced and my feet tread water trying to understand. I gasped.
Not far away, swans glided by, serene.
And then I was back up on the stairs and back onto the dock. The Swiss night air seemed warm in comparison to the water. But my hair was slicked back and gleaming, and my skin was buzzing. I was washed clean. It was time to start anew.
As you might remember from here, I don’t have a New Year’s resolution per se, but I do have a New Year’s word to guide me. This year’s word is Manifest. I mean this as a verb, as in To manifest. Because this is my year to call forth, to do and to demonstrate.
There are a lot of things on my list this year. So I must be steadfast and brave, despite obstacles. Like those swans {who can be fierce when needed}, gliding forward, even when feet and bellies are in icy water. Their lives, things of beauty and magic…..
What's your New Years word?