"How many women have the courage to start properly with a cold, cold bath early in the morning? I jump in, throw the water, cold as ice, and after the first plunge I am happy"

Anna Held’s words invite us to reflect on personal resilience, self-discipline, and the societal expectations surrounding femininity and comfort. She paints a vivid scene with the image of a cold, cold bath first thing in the morning, a challenge not only to one’s body but also to habitual notions of how to start the day. The cold bath symbolizes the trials or discomforts that many instinctively avoid. By referencing women specifically, Held touches upon prevailing gender norms of her era, implying that women were often not expected to embrace such bracing acts of willpower.

Her rhetorical question, how many women have the courage, implies rarity and bravery in defying expectation. There's a certain mischievous pride in her description: not only does she meet the challenge, but she transforms it, reporting that after the initial shock, happiness follows. This sequence hints at a deeper truth: that initial discomfort can, through determination and action, be converted into well-being and joy.

The act of jumping in, without hesitation, becomes a metaphor for confronting life’s difficulties head-on. Rather than slowly and painfully inching into the cold, she chooses to plunge, suggesting fearlessness, decisiveness, and an embrace of vitality. Her approach is both literal and emblematic, a lesson in vitality and personal empowerment. The coldness of the water is a natural adversary, a shock to the system that most instinctively shy away from, yet she frames it as a source of invigoration after the initial bravery.

There’s also an undercurrent of self-reliance and nonconformity threaded through her statement. Anna Held stakes a claim to her morning ritual, presenting herself as distinct from those who might choose ease or routine instead. Her message encourages confronting discomforts, not only for their own sake but for the resulting happiness and satisfaction they can bring, a testament to the rewards of courage, both in daily acts and in larger life choices.