The other day I went for a run and a dip. The Atlantic is getting pretty cold here north of Boston, and my dips have turned into a quick duck beneath an incoming wave, then a mad dash for shore. I've perfected it so well that my shorts are barely wet. The cold water is totally invigorating, and my body tingles with energy afterwards.

My neighbors have different reactions to this. One of them, Kevin, is a sport and will join me whenever he's around. I love the company, and when it's the two of us, we'll jump in two or three times. On days the water feels particularly cold I'm grateful he's an EMT and knows CPR.

I went for a dunk by myself last Thursday. I was walking home barefoot, dripping wet, when one of my neighbors rolled her eyes and told me I was crazy. Normally I make comments like, "The water's great/ you ought to try it/ it feels wonderful". Something to explain my behavior. But I didn't. I just smiled and kept walking. Past the next house, where I got the same retort, "You went in the ocean? You must be crazy!"

Again, I noticed the habit to explain. I didn't. I just broke into another smile and nodded my head. And a wonderful thing happened. Something inside me relaxed and softened. I felt around inside, seeking to understand. I realized I had just dropped an old habit, a habit I didn't even know I had!  It went out with the tide.

Since that time, I've gone for a few more dips and heard the standard retort a few times. Whenever I do, I break into another smile. I never knew how liberating the comment "You must be crazy!" can be.