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Growing Old, Growing Cold

By: Kathleen McDonnell
Narrated by: Annie Szamosi
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Publisher's Summary

What is it about freezing cold water that draws people in? Throughout history, humans have gravitated to cold water swimming and celebrated its healing properties, calling it the secret to good health and serenity. Today, cold water swimmers gather in groups from Galway to Georgian Bay to jump into frigid waters for fun, competition, and even as a form of activism and protest.

Kathleen McDonnell started swimming in Lake Ontario, infamous for its chilly depths, because it was close to home. As time went on she began to rely on a daily dip, even breaking through winter ice to raise her spirits and refresh her body. In this wide-ranging memoir, McDonnell shares her love of cold water swimming and the lessons she has learned from a slow and steady commitment to the waves.

©2022 Kathleen McDonnell (P)2023 Second Story Press

Critic Reviews

“Playwright McDonnell revisits her passion for ‘cold-water swimming’ in this gorgeous work that muses on the environment, love, and self-acceptance... Readers will find themselves taken by McDonnell’s vivid recollections.”—Publishers Weekly

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In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.