December 26, 2007

Christmas week, and the beckoning of the new year, give many of us reason to reassess the past twelve months and to recalibrate our priorities. I'm certainly taking a gut check (pound-wise), reality check (in terms of my social interactions), stress check, family infusion, work retooling, thankfulness tally, and spiritual gauge (in terms of my inner being and my stance on the Big Issues). What's more, I see 2008 as a watershed year in many larger ways, especially as America goes about choosing a new president and as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan grind on.

It's also a pivotal year for us Chicago Cubs fans, who begin a dubious centennial: 100 years since our last World Series victory -- over the Detroit Tigers -- in 1908! (For the definitive history of baseball's "grandest season," pick up Cait Murphy's new book, Crazy '08.)

This week, though, is also a time to just let it all loose. To that end: a Polar Bear Party at my sister- and brother-in-law Joann and Michael Rooney's home, in New Rochelle, New York, at which three dozen hearty souls (10 to 12 aren't pictured here) jumped into the Long Island Sound. (My son, Sam, is in the front row of the smiling scrum, below, sixth from the left, in the tan trunks.) Water temperature: a beautiful 41 degrees.

PHOTO BY LIZ GARLAND SAUER