After Work

After working for most of the day indoors it seems as if blood circulation and general get-up and go fizzles to a sluggish crawl, coupled with prodigious yawns. Despite the day being a busy one, a feeling of sleepy chillyiness washes over, especially around 3pm. By the time the shop had closed and  the till cashed up all I really wanted to do was curl up on the car seat and go to sleep. 
However, there was the niggling thought that what I really needed was a re-invigorating swim. Uggh!
All the way driving down the hill there was an arguement going on between my slothful self and my sensible self. Go home. Go to the Lake. Go home. Go to the Lake. I wasn't sure which me was going to win but at the last second the car turned left and it was heading towards the lake. 
Slothful self went into a bad-tempered paddy. She had been looking forward to feet up with a cup of tea. Sensible self didn't feel too keen either, not even when parked and looking at the view. We all agreed it looked cold and uninviting. There was another short whinge as to whether it was worth getting out of the car at all but then in a sudden burst of desperation everything came together and I was out, with swimming bag in hand, trotting down the grassy bank to the water's edge. All seemed to be on track. 
But at the nth moment as I was standing thigh deep Slothful self activated a last sally and I was overcome with a  complete viceral abhorrence  to ducking down further into the water. The thought of the clammy cold wet touching my skin gave me gasps of horror. 
Luckily, a rather slippery stone turned suddenly under my foot and the decision to get out was not mine to make. 
And of course, from then on it was a great swim. Just what I needed after all.
I did wonder though why I had felt so very antagonistic towards getting in. The water temperature is nothing like as cold as winter . Then I remembered. It is the same every year in Spring and Autumn, when there is a transitional period from very cold to warmer and from nice and warm to chilly. The body, skin and organs  don't know how to change their reaction, built up over the previous 6 months, and go into a sort of nauseous denial. A bit like the transition phase when giving birth.
You just have to hope everything will come out in the wash!



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