Saturday, February 6, 2010

Snow Day


I slept in today. Is 8:55 am sleeping in anymore? I think it is for those over the age of 40; but what do I know, I rarely sleep in anymore. As I woke from my long slumber I knew the ground would be covered in snow as the storm rapidly progressed during the wee hours. As I looked out the window, I could barely see the road from the white covered blankets that lay in the landscape below me. It had snowed over a foot at this point and at least another 5 inches would fall before the snowstorm would finally end mid-day.

One of my morning rituals, besides brewing a pot of coffee, was feeding Lucy and then taking her out for her morning walk. Usually we had been walking across the main road to my Junior High School sports field so I could let her run off leash, but I knew I'd be lucky if I was able to get out of the front door without being covered mid thigh in snow. As I walked out into the front patio, with Lucy following hesitantly behind me, the cold air felt hard and dense. Lucy, who'd only been in 2 inches of snow prior to this storm, seemed a little hesitant in her step as she wasn't sure what to make of all the fluffiness surrounding her. She's a wuss when it comes to anything being cold and wet. She's a California doggie, what does she know? Looking around at the trees I knew this was, for a brief moment, a picturesque moment. Savoring the sight, I also knew it would soon be a faint memory as the snowfall would end and the elements of the wind and sun would turn the winter wonderland into a burdened chore for most.

Lucy soon started frolicking into the street and over to the neighbors driveway. It was quite early and none of our neighbors had ventured out of their homes yet; Lucy had a vast playground to cover. As she romped in and out of the knee high powder, trying to ground her paws for traction, only to fall into a cushion of soft pillows and onto the ground yet again. Bringing smiles to my cold mouth I watched her take pleasure in the wet landscape. Lucy was enjoying her morning walk more than I could have hoped for; my day was complete. As corny as it may sound, Lucy's happiness is one of my utmost pleasures. If you don't own a dog, get one, its unconditional love and gratification. I can't wait to get her a sibling pooch to play with and it can't happen soon enough in my world. As our morning romp came to an end, I was ready to get out of the harsh cold and couldn't wait to get inside to grab that warm cup of java.

My day continued into a flurry of phone calls, emails, IM chats, two scrabble games with my mom, three more walks with Lucy, the cooking of lunch and dinner, and even an afternoon outing to a meeting. I was even lucky enough to be involved in a twelve step call; which for any of you who aren't familiar with this type of a call, I shall explain.

A close friend of the family called me because his son had hit his bottom and he needed to know what to do. He put me on speaker so he and his wife could speak to me together to give me the back story. Listening to them I realized how grateful I was that it wasn't me who had hit bottom. I was so happy to be sober and healthy. What a 360 from six years ago! Here, I was able to assist them and listen to them describe how bad his alcoholism was and how his life had unraveled rapidly during the past few weeks. They asked me a number of pertinent questions and I was readily available to assist them as to what their next steps should be. It was a good feeling to be of service and to know that my 5+ years of sobriety had offered me the gift of being able to share my experience, strength and hope. That's a twelve step call; helping someone who needs it. Yes, it was a good day indeed.

But now at 11:25 pm, as I turn in for the night and can hear the wind howling outside my window with the snow drifts rising, I can only hope that it's the last snow day I'll have for 2010. Oh how I miss the hush of the ocean as I drive onto the PCH. Long gone are my days of sunny skies and warm nights.

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