Photography, Comfort, Ellie’s September Prompt

The Three Stages of Comfort

September Six Word Photo Story Challenge: “Comfort”

River swimming — sublime, comfortably numb moment.

Open water swimming is a spectacular feeling, but when it comes to swimming in a triathlon, it’s a different experience. On race day, I was overwhelmed and stressed by the swarm of 65 splashing bodies surrounding me in the salty, murky Pacific Ocean. It became difficult to breathe at a good pace and calm down my anxiety.

But I finished The Race — I came in 28th out of 66 total racers and was the 9th out of 29 females to finish it. The eight female racers who finished ahead of me were between the ages of 12–29, and I was the first female over 29 to complete it.

I placed first in my age group/gender category, F50–54! It was my second triathlon this year, but it was the first race with an ocean swim (rather than a pool) for the swim portion.

Doing a triathlon pushes me out of my comfort zone to embrace something new and scary by welcoming a unique experience.

A few days after my race, I cycled toward the forest on a sunny morning for forty-five minutes and hiked to a bone-chilling 90-foot river pool. The water shocked me when I immersed myself, but my core became fully heated within seven minutes as I breast-stroked through the water.

I reached that comfortably numb moment and floated into my sublime happy zone.

I swam in the wondrously cold river water for thirty minutes. With my goggled eyes, I swam past a school of fish towards a waterfall and sat on a boulder.

This type of triathlon replenished me with joy — cycling, hiking, and swimming each leg at my own pace, without the pressure of a race and where the finish line ends with a waterfall instead of a timer. It was a smooth bike ride home — invigorated by nature, quiet thinking, and movement.

A soothing shower and a hot herbal tea completed a glorious satisfying day with gentle comfort.

I find satisfaction in all three stages of “comfort” — through water — whether it’s pushing beyond my comfort zone in a triathlon race, swimming in the river until I reach the sublime comfortably numb moment, or sipping the sweet comfort of a hot cup of tea after a refreshing shower.

Experiencing each stage enables me to learn and appreciate the value of each one.

Thank you, Ellie Jacobson, for leading this satisfying “Comfort” prompt and my co-editors Sandi Parsons and Vidya Sury, Collecting Smiles, for their ongoing assistance with the Six Word Photo Story Challenge publication. — Mary Chang Story Writer, creator & editor of SWPSC, open water lover, and fitness enthusiast.