It’s not whether you succeed or fail that’s important, it’s that you keep on trying even in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.

That’s why I keep pushing the idea of adults swimming in Puget Sound, even though it’s had no noticeable impact on the general population of Whidbey Island over the last couple of decades. I keep on preaching, but everybody keeps on not listening. Look up and down any Whidbey Island beach on a warm, sunny day, and you’ve got a better chance of seeing a merperson than a human swimming. There are plenty of little people playing in the water, occasional teens skimming along the shallow surface on thin boards, and even some adults windsurfing, but they’re bundled up in wetsuits.

This isn’t to say there are no adult Puget Sound swimmers, but they tend to keep to themselves. Cold-water swimming is a solitary sport because even if you’re a gregarious person, nobody will go with you. So early in the morning or late in the evening, there are probably a few people swimming. It’s more an article of faith than of proven fact, because I’ve personally never seen one. There’s a preacher who tells me he swims in Penn Cove, and there was also a particular obituary. I knew a woman for many years who died, and it stated in her obituary that she enjoyed a cold swim in Useless Bay almost every morning. She was a feisty old gal and her obituary made me proud to have known her.

Swimming is dangerous, so if you give it a try and drown, don’t blame me. Driving is dangerous, too, but look at the bright side. If you die while swimming, there aren’t hundreds of gawkers driving past, saying how terrible it is that you’re mangled up inside the car. Cold-water swimmers often die and are never seen again. Either they go straight to heaven or are eaten by the crabs. Either way, the coroner can’t get his hands on them.

It’s the cold water that makes Puget Sound special, and it’s why Puget Sound isn’t like Florida, with thousands of people swarming to the beaches and compete for a spot in the water. With water temperatures in the 40s, Puget Sound takes some getting used to. If you’re thinking of trying it this summer, don’t just run into the water and dive in, like you’re starring in some beer commercial. In all likelihood, your heart will stop and you’ll be found washed up on the beach in shallow water, which is perhaps worse than being seen in a mangled car.

The secret of Puget Sound swimming is to get used to the temperature slowly, so your blood has time to declare an emergency, sound the hemoglobin siren, and exit your extremities post-haste. The blood drains from your arms, legs and brain and congregates around your heart so it will keep beating as you swim. It’s better to have a functioning heart than brain, and the brain activity will resume a few minutes after you leave the water, not stopping again until you switch on the TV news.

It’s best to just kind of float in the water for a couple of minutes, letting everything get as numb as possible, and then start your stroke. If you’re older and have various painful parts, all the pain will go away. You’ll feel totally fresh and invigorated, and it’ll be just you, the sun, the sky and the water, and perhaps the maniac on the jet ski heading right toward you. Swim for only about 10 minutes to assure you won’t freeze up and sink like the Titanic, and then emerge from the water, feeling 100 percent better than when you went in.

There’s nothing quite like a cold dip in Puget Sound.

That’s the end of this annual lecture. Feel free to go about your business on a beach chair with a cold drink in your hand. There’s something to be said for that, too.