Once again, as every tour seems to go, we had an amazing time last weekend, courtesy of Michelle from Surrey Outdoor Swimmers & Win The Morning, Win The Day, along with a lovely group from Broadstairs. 10 of us went from Selsey, probably wondering why they were leaving this glorious coastline up to the hot and muggy Thames.
But we had a ball! And quite surprisingly considering the very dry weather, the Thames was delightfully refreshing! We had several dips, and were waved at many times by passing motor cruisers full of people on holiday enjoying their G&T's as they pottered along, taking in all the glorious sights of the riverbank (including us of course ;).
Someone kindly brought paddleboards, so a few had a go on those (dogs and all!). And then Michelle had the idea of getting us all in a circle on the grass by the riverbank and one-by-one, asking people to say one thing they were grateful for. No doubt this brought panic to some, but it didn't last long and very quickly this little sharing circle became incredible to watch and listen to. It only took the first person to speak, to tell us how much it had meant to her to be a part of the bathing community she had joined and how much it had helped her in times of great personal difficulty, before each person in the circle opened up and spoke directly from their heart. Each person's short gratitude story was incredibly moving and by the end of it, many of us were in tears - you couldn't believe the power of such a simple idea of gathering around together to share!
Some of the most simple things in life, are often the most profound. Community and cold water are top of the list for many of us, I know. So here are a few pictures from the day and we look forward to the next SSBS On Tour soon.