There are occasions when time's manner of slipping stealthily past blows me away, moments, hours, days -- in retrospect -- seeming to have careened by at a kind of velocity that you'd think would catch my attention when I'm in the middle of it, though it rarely does. At least until it's all gone and I'm somewhere down the temporal stream, in the middle of an entirely different calendar unit.
A week ago at this time, I was just getting comfortable in Montreal. Seven days later, I'm making my way through a different part of January, the midwinter world outside cold and blustery, hard, bright sunlight flooding the countryside as snow blows through the air. Me watching it all, appreciating the bejesus out of things that are normally so much a part of the background that I pay them little attention.
For instance: indoor plumbing. It may seem silly, but I'll tell you what: on a day like this -- classic northern Vermont winter fare -- a gift as simple as indoor facilities merits a moment's appreciation . When I glanced out the dining room window this morning, the mercury hovered around the 16 degree mark. It never rose beyond the mid-20s, a hard-edged breeze making it feel much colder. It's nice not to have to stumble out into it to dump the ballast or wash one's face or do the dishes.
Something else: indoor heat. The great, visceral rush of stepping into a warm house from cold winter air.
Comfortable, well-made clothing. Coats and under layers that insulate well on days like this. Winter gloves. Sturdy footwear.
And the simple ongoing show of the day as it slips past, life happening in its mundane ways on this jewel of a planet we call home.
I walked into the locker room at the gym today just as one guy was telling another the time of a party happening tomorrow, realizing a moment later that the gig was supposed to be a surprise -- in honor of the individual he was talking to. "Oh, God," he said. "I'm sorry! I shouldn't have told you!" Then: "Don't tell anyone I let you know!" The CYA reflex, kicking in almost immediately.
So human.
It's good to be here, riding time's wave through this earthly existence.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Northern Vermont, late January:
Madrid, te echo de menos.
rws 4:07 PM [+]
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