New Year's Day Polar Bear Swim

It was -1C, brilliantly sunny and the first day of the new decade. It was also the last day Martijn, my Dutch couch surfer who has been staying with me since Dec 10, would be with me. He has been an excellent guest, one who left me wondering why every day can't be so fine, and we wanted to do something special for his send-off. We decided that would be the Polar Bear Swim in mid-afternoon.

My back was giving me a lot of grief and my legs were shaky, but we walked the length of Davie to get to English Beach to meet my long time friend Yves. The city, the water and the mountains were incredibly beautiful. The pushing of the crowds and the uneven ground were a challenge for me but I managed well enough. There were at least a couple thousand spectators and participants packed in around the bay. Since I cannot walk on sand it was impossible to see any of the swimmers in action. Martijn and Yves disappeared into the crowd in their Speedos and re-emerged a couple minutes later, wet and shaking. They had to force their way through the crowd to get to the water's edge.

Afterwards they stayed with me as I struggled half a block up Davie Street to catch the bus. They left me there and climbed the hill to my place. The traffic was horrendous. The bus took almost half an hour to go the first kilometre. I got off at the top of Davie, two blocks early, just to be free of the packed bus. I met the boys waiting for me at Davie and Burrard, a few metres from my building, where they have been waiting for 15 minutes.

Our friend Holly came by and the four of us spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out at my place. They were reluctant to leave. I wanted to cook a special meal for Martijn's last supper with me, poached salmon with dill, rice and Hollandaise sauce (appropriately Dutch). I didn't have enough food for Yves and Holly for the meal I had planned, but I invited them to stay anyway. I split my salmon portion with Yves, and added a stir-fry of mixed veggies and nuts in an eggplant/tomato sauce and boiled yams for Holly, who is a vegan, but I made extra for everyone. It was a great meal, although not enough for Martijn. He had been fasting for 29 hours and was ravenously hungry. He cooked and ate two pork chops while the rest of us relaxed and chatted.Yves and Holly left separately over the next couple hours. I occupied myself with the dishes, conscious of a growing anxiety inside of me. Martijn's companionship had made my typically most dreary month of the year, December, into the best year of 2010 and though I knew it was time, I didn't want him to leave. But of course he left as planned and I went to bed, refusing to let myself feel despondent.This morning I found his salty Speedo hanging on my bathroom towel rack, and a few items of dirty clothing he had intended to wash before leaving tucked away beside the futon sofa in the living room. I suppose I will be sending a care package to Whitehorse, his next home, as soon as he sends me his new address.

PHOTO 1: Martijn and Yves
PHOTO 2: Martijn