Taking the plunge!

I love being 40 plus.  With age comes maturity.  And self-acceptance.  And it also gives you the chance to get away with doing things which – in your teens, twenties or thirties – would be considered weird, ill-advised or just downright embarassing!

Would you like an example?  On Wednesday my sweetie Danish friend V and I were down at the beach for an outdoor exercise class.  (We run three times a week come hail, sleet, snow or ice – but mainly we meet for the chat!)  It was a gorgeous Danish summer day.  By 9am the beach was full of mothers and toddlers, a kayak team, dog walkers, holiday makers, joggers.  Basically the World and His Danish Wife…

V and I spied a few people out in the water who were ‘winter bathing’ or vinterbadning as the Danes call it.  Bathing.  In the (still very cold) sea.  Stark naked.  V said to me, “Well, that’s certainly something I could never do!”

And guess what happened, one hour later, when we were hot and sticky after our intensive workout?  You guessed it.  We stripped off.  Right down to our birthday suits.  Together with 5 or 6 other lovely ladies of all nationalities, shapes, sizes and ages – though all of us were definitely well (well) past the 30s stage…  In full view of the whole beach.  And enjoyed a very refreshing dip!  [15c or 59f for those who are interested in the water temp].

And do you know what?  We survived.  We couldn’t stop smiling afterwards.  “Intoxicated” sums it up pretty well.  So we did it again this morning! ;D

In fact, we’re going to do it the whole summer and – who knows – perhaps even well into the winter?  Today we bought summer passes for the loal bathing huts.  Where we can strip off to our heart’s content and bathe – without fear of offending those pour souls who aren’t yet fortunate enough to have joined the 40s club yet… ;D

View from the ladies section of the bathing huts, looking east towards Sweden – fantastic, non?

Have a fabulous Friday and a wonderful weekend! 🙂