Hot and Cold

As someone born and raised in an urban and suburban environment it’s easy and normal to be disconnected from nature and the elements.  Lots of climate controlled buildings surrounded by concrete and asphalt, and the “wild” spaces are often parks with rules and curfews.  When I lived 50 feet from the bay I would go outside every sunset in the winter and wonder how the wild birds and animals could stand the cold?  And yet they did and seemed perfectly fine and comfortable in both air and water that is below 50F.  When I was kid we went surfing in 50F water in just a short spring suit or boardshorts, my son and his friends regularly wear just T-shirts or even shorts in the winter while I am wearing a hooded down parka.  I know a couple of surfers around 50 years old, one wears just shorts and the other shorts and a thin neoprene vest, in winter, and they tell me they are not cold.  My introduction to this seeming madness was a Wim Hof workshop on Treasure Island.