On the first day of January I often strip down to nothing, or almost nothing, and submerge myself in icy water. It is a baptism of sorts, a way to start afresh, but it is also a reminder that I am alive and that the world is still spinning.
This year, instead of a resolution, I am drawn to the idea of revolution, in every sense of the word. There is the concept of revolving, of our planet turning on its axis amongst the stars, bruised and abused but relentlessly rotating. It is impossible to reflect upon the disappearing year and plan for the one ahead without considering the state of our planet. The climate emergency is affecting more and more of us, forcing us to confront what has been staring us in the face for decades. When I shed my clothes and submerge my ankles on the bubbling shoreline there are sanderlings and oystercatchers, curlews and terns. Fragile representations of a precious world. I wade out further and lie back in the water as the chill snatches my breath. The sun is low in the sky but somewhere it is burning hard, and not in a good way.
We need a revolution, and I make that part of my resolution, though I feel tiny and powerless in the face of overwhelming challenge. I have spent the last year fighting for my children’s health and education, just as I spent the previous few years fighting, and it is tiring growing up in a world defined by global and personal conflict. Like so many of you, I feel helpless in the face of such horrendous world events.