I just took a cold shower. I think I’ve taken fewer than five warm showers this year. The rest have been all cold, using no hot water.

Why? Because I decided to try to take one cold shower every day for seven days. I wanted to observe the emotional reaction, the flinch, as I got into the shower. The challenge of starting something in the face of fear is harder than finishing this thing. I find this to be true of cold showers. I still find it feels cold every time I start one. 

But I’m almost addicted. I didn’t set out to take more than seven cold showers in seven days. But I just keep doing it most of the time. Even though it still makes me flinch every time at the start, I’m glad I did it every time.

I keep asking myself, What’s something that makes me flinch that is still worth doing? I’ve started coming up with things I really want to do, but that I’ve been afraid to start. Or because other fears kept me tied up from doing that thing.

Of course, it is summer time. We’ll see if I still like cold showers when the winter comes.