Friday, February 22, 2008

The Weather Gives Me An Afternoon Off

Yesterday started out to be a normal and ordinary workday. I knew there may be some bad weather later in the day. I did not expect, however, for my office to close at midday. An ice storm was coming and local employers rightly decided to let workers out of the city before it hit. A few weeks ago a snow, sleet, and freezing rain storm hit during the evening rush hour. No one got off early that day so the end of the work day commute created total gridlock for everyone as they went home. When the email came out yesterday telling everyone to go home, the enthusiasm level in my office went off the chart. People were flying out the door. I was one of them. My wife's office also closed early so I called her as I was walking to the parking garage. Soon enough we were on our way home. I took a slightly different route and I was quickly out of the city. The weather wasn't too bad yet so we stopped off for lunch at a Mexican restaurant near where we live. It felt like a gift from God to have this unplanned time off. After lunch I quickly went home, looking forward to a quiet afternoon, safe in my home. As much as I wanted to enjoy the time, I soon found myself sound asleep in my chair. I was warm and cozy. It was not how I thought my Thursday afternoon would be spent. I love the surprise of unexpected time away from work. I think most of my co-workers would agree that working is not really that bad but not working is a whole lot better.

Now it is Friday and another work week has passed. I haven't seen my granddaughter, Chloe, in a couple of weeks so I hope to have dinner with her and her parents tonight. I can hardly wait to see her. Afterwards it will be a quiet night. I will need to get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow I must get up very early so I can be at my son's college in Indianapolis at 9:00 AM for Parent's Day.

I have been feeling really brain dead lately and having some "writer's block". For a very long time it has been rather easy for me to sit down at my computer and spontaneously write some daily thoughts. Lately, I feel like I sit down, stare at the blank screen, and my brain launches into space. As Jeff Forbst always says to the losing team at the end of every Survivor challenge, "I got nothing for you"! I know some of you like hearing about my life which is a complete surprise to me since I feel much of my life is doing the same things that most of you are doing. The few things of interest that I do, i.e., going to the monastery or the occasional rock and roll adventure, I feel like I do over and over to the point that I no longer know how to make them interesting to anyone but me. I know that others still enjoy the Chloe stories. Recently I received a touching email where someone wished I was their child's Pa Paw. For those of you who like my attempts at daily thoughts, I will keep trying to write things of interest or inspiration. Perhaps the upcoming spring will not only renew nature but my writing as well.

Finally....a couple of news items from the last week. Here's a sobering thought for fellow members of the 60's generation. Yoko Ono, wife of slain Beatle John Lennon, turned 75 years old this week.

Louisville, Kentucky, my hometown, was identified as one of the top five underrated cites in the United States as a place to live. I have lived here most of my life and it is a great place to live.

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