Yup, that’s right. For the second year in a row, I found myself at Glazebrook Park at 10 a.m. on a Saturday morning, shivering in the wind, eyeing the lake with apprehension. The temperature outside was in the 20s, and I was going in.
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Freezing for Funds is a charity polar plunge in which a local nonprofit receives a check and a few idiots receive frostbite. I am happy to report that I am one of those idiots. Every January for the past several years, a group of people gather at Glazebrook in Godfrey to plunge into the lake. The proceeds from donations and sponsorships then go to a local nonprofit, chosen by one of the polar-plungers.
I froze for funds last year, so I was disproportionately confident this time around. “This is no big deal,” I told my loved ones as I laid down a trash bag in my car to protect against the lake water. “This is for charity,” I told myself as I changed into a swimsuit at 9 a.m. amid 20-degree temperatures.
Fast forward to the few minutes before the plunge, and my confidence was starting to wane. It was so. Freaking. Cold. The wind whipped around us as we stood on the shore of Glazebrook Lake. There were a few firefighters standing in the lake, wearing thermal water gear and watching to make sure no one had a medical emergency.
Shivering, I prepared for the shock of the water as best I could. I shuffled in the grass and then, on the count of three, waded into the lake with fake zest. My mother stood on the shore, snapping pictures; in the photos, I’m all smiles, like I’m having the time of my life.
My internal monologue was a lot less cheery as I stood in the water alongside my fellow polar plungers. I waited impatiently for someone to take the first step back to shore so I could run back to dry land. I didn’t want to be the one who chickened out and left first, but goodness, was it cold. When we finally started the trek back to the shore, the only thing that kept me from sprinting was a fear of falling and splashing up more cold water.
Back on land, and my legs were mottled purple, there was lake moss wrapped around my ankles, and my teeth were chattering at a hundred miles per hour. But there was a sense of accomplishment, too: I had done it.
As 2025 kicks off, I have decided to continue my “say yes” mantra that I carried with me throughout all of 2024. I documented this in my blog all last year, when I agreed to more experiences than I ever have in my life, and I had a lot of fun through all of it. I also found myself in some bizarre predicaments, but that’s the risk you take when you agree to everything, no questions asked.
I’m trying to take this “say yes” mindset into 2025, which is how I found myself standing in the middle of a frozen lake a few days ago. I’m also reminding myself to “do more good” and “take no bulls***.” These are the three phrases I have held onto for these first two weeks of January, and I’m trying to remember them as the year carries on.
Back to Freezing for Funds. As I clutched my towel and tried to dry off, the winner of the money was announced. All the polar plunge proceeds went to the YWCA, a more than worthy cause in our community.
I clapped my numb hands and discreetly hightailed it back to the car, where I blasted the heat and drove home, eagerly anticipating a hot shower.
All of this to say, I had fun. There’s no better way to start off a “say yes” year than by simply doing something wild. I’ll be taking my mantras with me as the new year gets off to a roaring start, and I can’t wait to see what other adventures I encounter as the year goes on.
What should I try? What should I “say yes” to? I’m taking all suggestions in the comments. I can’t wait to see what this year holds.
