Discover The Dalai Lama Secret for a Longer and Happier Life at My Local Beach... Part 3
The Sunday Best Round Up #30
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Today is Act 3 in my epic tale of 23rd December.
And the TDLR version so far is thus…
Act 1:
23rd December my yumsically meditative flow at morning yoga class was ruined (nay destroyed) by thinking about my Herculean to do list of Christmassy chores.
Then in the spirit of old Saint Nick I showed kindness to myself and decided to take a sauna and sea swim after yoga, which was well lush.
(Story can be read here in full)
Act 2
Once in the sauna I had an existential crisis about not travelling abroad in years, which was luckily saved by my realization that it didn’t actually matter.
Like. At. All.
(Story can be read here in full)
And so here we are in the HERE and NOW with our face paint donned, hair done nice, and glittery stockings pulled tight; ready to begin Act 3 like an amateur thespian at the Shakespearean Globe Theatre (maybe!)
Act 3:
After my sauna encounter I was very hot and sweaty indeed.
I know, right, who’d have thought? 😁
But being as cunning as a fox and smart as a weasel I wanted to retain this heat.
As the hotter I was, the yummier my cold sea splasher-oony would be.
Because opposites innit.
But it’s a 4 minute drive to the beach which is a lot of time to cool down.
However, don’t worry I had a plan to retain the heat.
I donned my sweatshirt inside out so that it didn’t have a sweaty inside later (see I told you I was smart!)
Then jog pants, thick socks, trainers (which are sneakers in the USA - I caused some confusion on that last time out!), my fat padded dry robe coat, hat, scarf, and gloves.
I dashed to my car, whacked the heating on full, cranked up some classical Christmas Spotify toons, and drove off to the water.
I was keeping a good sweat on
(Delicious visual!)
Several minutes driving and I came past the pier by the sea, and could see the little cafe and benches near where I get changed to swim.
The sun was risen in the clear blue winter sky.
A hot diggity dog fireball of a thing.
Illuminating all around and casting beautiful coloured rays on the crisp, clear, bouncing, blue waves.
As all this came into view the Spotify mix played one of my favourite little Christmas tunes; a harp version of Silent Night.
‘Twas one of those moments you want to bottle like a fine wine or perfectly aged whisky.
(Tbh I’ve been teetotal for 3 years - so probably a Cherry Pepsi Max over ice - yumbo!)
The heat was embracing my body… the sun offering all the pleasant visuals… and the harps… oh the harps…
I have no idea why but harp music - in particularly a version of Silent Night - has been my absolute festive highlight in 2024.
Listening to it again and again has given me the most seasonal of vibes.
Anyway this was an 11 out of 10 moment to be embraced.
An experience that could not be topped.
Or could it?
I parked and walked past the little wall which shelters our small outdoor swimmer changing area (which is basically a bit of concrete floor, some benches, and a few nails in the wall as clothes hangers, next to the beach)...
Where I came across a throng of merry swimmers.
This surprised and delighted me in equal amounts.
Surprise as it was later than I normally visit the beach and so was half expecting no one to be there.
Pleased because it was people I’ve got to know really well over the past 6 years of sea swimming in this very spot.
All were in a festive, happy mood.
(In fact everyone at the beach who swims is virtually always in a happy mood year round - which is pretty special when you think about it).
My smile continued to widen.
I was with my tribe and delightfully happy to be so.
And, interestingly, this real and lovely feeling of being around people in a community is officially Dalai Lama endorsed.
Yep I’d been listening to a podcast by the venerable Tibetan spiritual leader the day before.
And he’d been talking about the loneliness in the world, and some research he quoted that had found loneliness actually had double the impact on mortality than obesity.
(Image by By Niccolò Caranti - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28235911)
Being lonely was thought to be twice more likely to KILL YOU than being overweight.
Obvs not an exact science but still…
Quite remarkable.
We spend so much time and effort trying to lose weight, get skinny, and manage our BMI.
Companies spend billions of pounds marketing all kinds of weight loss solutions.
But what about friendships?
How many of us went on a community diet plan for the new year?
Started tracking our friends like calories?
Picking out low fat and nutritious mates?
Hmmmmm…
I'll take that as a no then!
(TBH I didn’t either - I’m not pointing thumbs!),
But it does make you ponder a tad.
Why don't we prioritise the social world in quite the same way?
At this point I could pontificate about capitalist corporations, government agendas and such like.
But that’s not really my bag here.
So I won’t.
[Audible sighs of relief ring out around the interwebs]
Yet this whole community aspect of staying healthy is definitely a good thing for us to remember, if we want to stay happy and healthy.
Anywayz philosophical side show over… back to the beach…
After a little fun chitty chat with friends all that was left was to get into the rather chilly sea. which never disappoints with it’s cold pain and exhilarating happy (clappy) high combo.
I had about 5 minutes swim and then my ‘traditional’ 4 water handstand finish.
One facing north, then east, then south, then west.
Because … I’m a bit odd like that really.
Then with the world’s largest brain freeze I hopped out with a giddy grin to a warm towel, hot water bottle, flask of tea and a bit more chit chat.
Lovely stuff.
The day was indeed won at this point.
Hoorah and huzzar!
And that’s about it for today folks - there end-eth this epic 3 parter.
Happy Sunday,
JFT Beach
Article I Wrote on Substack This Week:
From Sauna Gossip to Jealous Travel Epiphanies: Lessons on Happiness PART 2... Last week’s epic tale in this 3 parter.
A note I shared on Substack this week:
5 Health and Wellness Articles I Enjoyed on Substack This Week:
Deciding without first having to decide to… - An interesting piece about the paralysis of modern decision making and also a mind reading bear (how cool is that?) from
The Morning Practice That Has Changed My Days (And Maybe My Life?) - The power of setting positive intention in the morning for the day from
How To Carpe Diem - A cool 7 question check list to help you seize the day and do new stuff; thanks
Our Words Are More Than Just Words - A short Demi Moore - inspired piece on the importance of the words we use every day, and the emotions behind them, from
Why I Suck At Substack - As ever 🌟🌟Taylor Cecelia Brook🌟🌟 (who has become my unofficial Substack adopted daughter 😊) shares truth, humour and some great aha moments for all Substack writers.
I hope you enjoyed this week’s newsletter,
If you did, please do me a favour and re-stack it, or add a comment below. OR JUST LIKE… Y’KNOW… DO BOTH 😁. I’d REALLY REALLY appreciate it.
To Lazy Sunday Afternoons,
JFT Beach
PS Thanks to the following for… well… following!
Yep this week the following lovely people have started following me on Substack thanks to all of you
part 3 did not disappoint. I just love the bliss you experience with the joys of community and all the friendships you have developed with your cold swim peeps.
I knew that loneliness is fatal...especially with the elder population. I did not know that it is twice as fatal as obesity. Wow.
moreso, I am laughing out loud at the fact that you mentioned Taylor Cecelia Brook and then she claimed you as a soul father. She calls me her soul mamma...so does that mean we are co-parents? I'm down for that.
Love you JFT. You always inspire my Sunday morning. I'm headed on a mini-road-trip to bring my Hobbit's cousin back to college today. My own version of parenting someone else's child.
The joys of the internet: So my father lives some 600 miles from here, and one of my take-advantage-of-the-internet joys is getting to hear stuff livestreamed/archived from his church. This weekend they had a two day seminar, and one of the sessions was titled "Does Your Cell Phone Use You Or Grow You?" No lie. That session was partly enlightenment - a bunch of stuff attendees may or may not have known about what extensive device use does to your brain - and partly strategies to realign your priorities. And one of the things he said was continued device use is addictive (of course we knew that) because it gives you stronger hits of the feel-good chemicals than individual activities like, oh, sea swimming and chatting with your friends :-/ You have to make a conscious decision to choose the wiser path and cultivate things like relationships because the annoying little self-reinforcing computer in your pocket WILL draw you away if you let it. Part of why posts like this one bring such a smile to my face :-)