A Day Home Alone

When I left work on Monday, it was beginning to snow. Because of the cold temperature it began to stick immediately. I thought I would get home before it caused any real problem but I was wrong. The drive home was bumper to bumper and traffic moved at a snail's pace. The snow was mixed with sleet and I had a difficult time keeping my windshield clear. Eventually I made it home and I was happy to be there. I was ready to settle in and enjoy the wintry night. It's always a very pleasant experience to be in the warmth and solitude of your home on such a night. It continued to snow for few more hours and then, sometime in the night, the snow turned into freezing rain. When I woke up on Tuesday morning there were approximately 4-5 inches of snow with about an inch of ice on top. Although I had the day scheduled off in advance, I still had to face the morning commute. Why? Well, I am not a perfect husband but I am a good one. I took the Queen to work. Of course, before I could do that I had to go outside in the cold rain and clean off the car. Thankfully, the ice was on top of the snow and it was a relatively easy job to scrape it off. The morning commute was slower than usual but I had no problems. Soon enough I was back home with the whole day ahead of me. I drank some more coffee and did some meditation. I wanted to be in the right frame of mind when I started writing the talk I needed to prepare. That process went well and I completed a pretty good first draft within a couple of hours. It was pleasant for me to sit at my computer, see my ideas come together on paper, while looking out my window at the winter wonderland in my neighborhood. In quiet moments as the temperature rose I could hear the drip of melting snow and ice. It reminded me to enjoy the day and the moment because the snow and ice would likely be gone in a day or two. As the Buddha says, "All things are impermanent".

It was wonderful to have a day of solitude at home during the work week. Weekdays have a completely different feel than weekends. My wife was laughing at me because "every time you have some personal task to complete you have to take a whole day off"! She speaks the truth. I am something of a romantic. Yesterday was a day to write. I wanted and needed to do it within a certain context. I wanted to be awake and refreshed when I sat down to put my thoughts to paper. I wanted to drink some good coffee. I wanted to be alone and undisturbed. I wanted to be in a somewhat meditative state. It was more than I wanted but a happy surprise to be home on a snowy day. The snowfall outside my window was beautiful and it inspired me. I have sometimes daydreamed of being a writer who lives in a beautiful place. Perhaps it would be a log cabin on the side of a hill with a view of forests and mountains. In the distance there might be a lake with a placid surface that occasionally is moved by the wind on the water. I would be inspired by all the beauty and I would write my thoughts, send them off to some publisher, and then wait for a check to arrive in the mail. Hey, even dreamers like me need to pay the bills!