Wetlook World Forum

A couple of winter “wet” memories for you today.

As you’ve realized, most of my memories are general; just how it was happening and I was getting into the sea clothed. There are very few that I can remember with details; usually if I have a photo before or after. And, of course, it was obvious that this happened under good weather. There are also a couple of them that I could remember with details (I have photos from both too), which happened during winter. I think they are the only ones when I’ve been swimming in winter clothes.

It was almost 18 years ago when I’ve just been married. Our daughter hadn’t been born yet. A sunny winter Sunday, my husband and me decided to take our small boat and go from the dock we were keeping it, to a nice small beach, half an hour far from there, that we used to visit sometimes. We’ve been dressed well. We both were wearing boots, jeans, woolen sweaters and navy jackets. The weather was good and the sea was quite calm when we sailed. We arrived to that beach, had a pick-nick on the sand, took some photos and, just before we decide to leave, the sky became cloudy, the wind started blowing and the waves became bigger. We tried to hurry up when we realized that, as we hadn’t tie it carefully, the boat had started... “saying goodbye” to us and getting deeper. Then my husband took his jacket off and went in to catch it. He made it and started swimming to the beach bringing it out. But it was difficult because of the waves, so I also went in to help him without having the time even to take my coat off. Fortunately, I managed to catch it also, still stepping my feet on the bottom of the sea, with the water just covering my breast, so we could bring it out a little bit more. When my feet were steadier on the bottom of the sea, I stayed in holding the boat with some difficulty. Some waves were hitting me and, although I was only waist-deep anymore, they sometimes were covering almost my shoulders. My husband collected all of our things from the beach, threw them in the boat and got on it. Then he grabbed my hands trying to help me getting on too. As we released the boat free, a big wave came and moved it suddenly so, as I was trying to step on it, I found my self in the water. Fortunately I could hold myself on it, so I wasn’t in real danger, although the boat had started going deeper. After another unsuccessful try, having already swam twice in the cold water, I managed to get on the boat. We needed to get back almost 1 hour. Being extremely tired, cold and wet, we went immediately into our car, turned on its heater and drove back home, laughing any more.

Let’s go now 7 years and a few months ago; on the last day in the High school before Christmas holidays. We’ve been there just for a few hours for a small celebration we’ve organized. Somebody made us some photos there, so I can remember what I was wearing: Leather shoes, formal black trousers, a black tight blouse inside, a white linen shirt over it and a gray woolen jacket. It was a sunny and quite hot winter day.

Driving back home alone, I stopped and went down to my “private” beach you’ve been told before (posts # 15361, 15746, 15870). I was very sad that day. It was almost 9 months that I had divorced. The summer before I had decided to move back with my daughter to my home village. I was a new teacher in that High school and I almost knew nobody. Most of my old friends have moved to other places. My grandparents had passed away some years ago and my parents were still living with my brother’s family in the town we were living the last 25 years. My daughter (she was still in the primary school) couldn’t still get used in her new life. She was missing her father and she hadn’t made new friends in the school yet. And yesterday she had left, with a teacher of her school, for her birth town (full of joy!), to spent Christmas holidays with her father. It would be the first time that she would be far from me for such a long time. Things were difficult and I was sitting on “my” beach sad and disappointed. I was thinking if it was my mistake I moved back here. I was almost feeling a stranger in my place. I had started to cry when the “energy” of “my” beach started to... make me feel home. I wasn’t thinking of it at first; it was only a sensation. And that sensation, I think, made me stand up and start walking to the sea with all my clothes on. In that condition I could never think of taking any of my clothes off; it was like it wasn’t me who was getting into the cold water. When I was deep enough and started to feel the cold water high in my chest, I started “waking up”. I was wondering what I was doing in there; drowning myself or looking for expiation? Then I let myself fall completely into the water. I stood up, dived another couple of times and walked out. I laid on the beach, under the winter sun, with my eyes closed, for more than one hour, although I was cold. When I stood up and started climbing the path to my car, I was sure that everything would be all right. And so it has been finally...