Friday, December 15
Remember being an elementary school kid, going to bed on a cold winter night. You would hope against all odds that upon waking and peaking out the window a beautiful blanket of white snow would cover the ground. Better yet, you would get to snuggle back into those cozy blankets and sleep in until daylight. Best yet, it was going to be an all-day play day outside in that blessed snow. Yes it is A SNOW DAY! Oh, was that the best feeling ever? Life just did not get better for a 10 year old!
As a middle school teacher for 25 years, I always professed that I did my best work when I was in the mindset of a 13 year old. I called it ‘in the zone’. Thus, I often got to relieve those hopes and joys of a SNOW DAY well into my 50’s. It was like a free day – a gift of 24 hours – you could do anything you’d like and not fall behind.
All these memories came flooding back yesterday when I realized that getting to OHSU was simply out of the question because of winter weather. Driving to Portland, being briefed and then signing the enrollment papers for a cancer research trial along with the subsequent blood tests would just have to wait – I had a free day – a gift of 24 hours.
Laurie and I went on an extended, chilly urban hike. We reveled in the winter beauty and inspected the ice damage. We came home; she made chicken soup while I played in the yard (with chainsaw). Later we read, relaxed and did not fall behind – a fine day!
Looking forward to what today brings!
Dear Mike, What a beautiful eloquent blog. It brought tears to my eyes — We,too, had a snow day with a walk along the river. See you next year and drive carefully when you go to Portland. Love Norene and Lloyd