After a long weekend filled with sunshine and celebration, this morning carried a different kind of energy.
The beach felt moody — not wild, but unsettled. The sky hung low, the light was soft and uncertain, and a slight wind pushed through, cool enough to make the sand feel colder than usual.
Yet the sea, at a gentle 19.3 degrees, was far more inviting than the draft at the beach — like it was welcoming us in, reminding us where warmth can still be found.
At 6:30, the group gathered as usual — chatting, laughing, adjusting goggles and caps. There’s a comfort in that familiar rhythm, even when the mood is a little off.
I chatted with Drinksy, who’s recently returned to Manly after a trip. He asked, “What’s new?”
“Nothing, same old,” I replied.
He smiled and said, “That’s just the way we like it, just the way it is”
It was a simple exchange, but it summed up something about this morning. Even when the sky is grey and the sea feels mercurial, there’s steadiness in the community — the same faces, the same rituals, the same gentle commitment to start the day in the ocean.
A few swimmers admitted they “weren’t feeling it” today, and I understood that. The ocean seemed to share the mood — beautiful, but restless, shifting from calm to textured in a heartbeat. Still, as they waded in, the water’s quiet embrace offered its own reminder: moods, like waves, come and go.
Today wasn’t radiant or easy, but it was real. And perhaps that’s the quiet beauty of a mercurial morning — it brings us back to what endures: the sea, the swim, and the steady company of the community.
Until next swim…
Deb 🩵