Nature's Cotton Candy

I strip quickly.

Having contemplated what I am about to do long enough, I move quickly, tossing my clothes in a careless jumble on the bench, saving stepping out of my cuddly boots onto the frosty pavement for last. The contact of my tender toes with the frigid ground sends shocks up my spine and I saunter quickly on the tips of my toes towards the steaming pool. It is just a few steps away, but the wind still wraps itself around my bathingsuit-clad body like a frozen, slithering king cobra.

I freeze in front of the pool, torn between the fear of heat and the pain of cold. Finally, unable to bear the cramping in my toes, I step in up to my knees.

The searing heat slams me like a bullet. The contrast between my upper and lower body is so painful that I plunge in, submerging myself up to my neck. Within seconds, my body adjusts, and I float, back in the womb, soft jets massaging my throbbing calves and my aching thighs.

I close my eyes, basking in the hot tub's embrace until I feel a soft, cold kiss on the top of my head. I look up into the pitch black sky with its splatter of stars, fat snowflakes dance down through the clouds of steam. Like a child, I open my mouth and welcome nature's cotton candy.

This hot tub picture was only taken 4 days ago on my vacation with my husband, but it feels like a much longer has elapsed since that magical night. Thanks for helping me recapture that moment through this Wordful, not so Wordless and Way-back wednesday!