TITLE: Through the Ice

"It is the sound that I love the most," I say, as I slowly glide through the floating shards of ice, their wind chime-like clinking crescendoing with each stroke.
The sound of the tinkling ice shards that bobbed up and down in our swimming hole was always different- the tone dependent on the thickness and density of the ice. As remarkable as the sound, however, was the fact that I could be immersed in 33 degree water for over five minutes and still appreciate their musical quality.
It is liberating to realize that it is okay to be cold. It is okay to be uncomfortable. Many of us were raised to be afraid of the cold and discomfort. Mothers rushed over to button jackets on the way to the car. Grandparents warned of catching the flu in inclement weather. I was told many times that if I fell into a body of water in the winter, I would die within minutes. Now I swim in New England ocean in January
for 10-20 minutes regularly. Discomfort does not have to overwhelm your entire experience. Allowing our very narrow expectation of what is comfortable broadens our experience of being alive.
I began photographing images of my fellow cold water swimmers several years ago. What always surprised me the most about the photographs were the expressions of peace and joy on my subjects' faces while plunging in the coldest of water. I recognize their joy. There are physical benefits to cold water immersion which naturally elevate mood-such as the rush of endorphins- but there is also a great freedom in doing what you didn't think was possible. The expansion of possibility is liberating. It is an expansion of life.

AUTHOR: Laurie Swope (United States)

I am a photographer based near Boston, Massachusetts. Although my background is in newspaper work, I have dabbled in commercial, stock, lifestyle and portrait photography. Now I am taking a deep breath and trying to see things differently. We'll see what happens.