It was Christian radio.
After the song stopped playing, a guy came on who began talking about procrastination.
I was going to turn it up, but...
This morning I had the kitchen radio softly playing as I made the Elixir of Knowledge.
It was Christian radio. After the song stopped playing, a guy came on who began talking about procrastination. I was going to turn it up, but...
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It's winter. It's cold.
When it's really sub-zero weird things happen. You're froze OUT of your car. Really. The door gaskets freeze shut. And then the door handles break when you reef on 'em to get in. That's when the air around the car door often turns blue and very warm, but not warm enough to thaw the door gasket. (Lesson 1 in sub-zero weather: Try to open the passenger door first. Life is just easier later on. Trust me.) And the tires get weird. They're supposed to be round, right? Nuh-uh. It takes about 5-7 miles for them to go from slightly-trapezoidal to round. Yeah. It's a little bumpy. (Note to self: Do NOT try to drink scalding hot coffee until at least 8-9 miles down the road.) I put up with the above-mentioned problems so I can get to work where I fire up my antiquated CPU and its perceived 2.4 inch monitor, which grows to its normal 14 inches after two more cups of the Elixir. Some days, like the last 12, it just doesn't seem worth it. Then that screensaver pops up. Ohhhhhh...yeahhh. It's a picture that deices my winter gloom and warms my frozen mind. A brilliant white sand beach. A shallow, wide lagoon with robin-egg-blue, transparent water. And where the water turns a deeper blue there's a little blip of an island. Just big enough for three tall palm trees. Three trees and white sand in crystal blue water. And beyond that there's a sparkling sea that eventually hugs a blue, almost-cloudless sky at the far horizon. Oh, yeah. I swear I feel sand in my shoes. Well, I'm sure I will once my feet thaw out. I settle back, staring at the screen . . . and it hits me. He has already given me a screensaver. Well, sort of. Something to look at when life gets cold. And the road gets bumpy. And I scald myself. And things get broken. A book that paints a picture of where I'm going. Reminding me that the ticket's already purchased and validated. That the entire trip is already paid for. Talk about a vacation home, eh? I take a swig of the Elixir and close my eyes. Wow. I swear I can feel those streets of cobblestoned gold. Huh. That can only mean one thing. My feet are thawing out. We made it.
The pipes of the Little-House-On-The-Corner, and its inhabitants, survived the week. A week of -40 to 55 below wind chills, morning temps between -21 to -30 below, and then warming up to -1 or -2 below. Yep. A week of what those Inuits waaaaaay up North call "Spring". There are things you learn when living in painful winds and penetrating cold. 1) God WILL take care of you. 2) Make sure there is a good supply of the Elixir of Knowledge...and a way to boil water. 3) Give yourself an extra 1/2 hour to get anywhere. 4) Firewood needs to be grey and light to give off heat, not white and heavy. 5) A lotta stuff we think is important really isn't. 6) And the things we take for granted become so much more appreciated. That last one was an eye-opener. The things that I never noticed or cared about became very noticeable- to the point of fixation. Like the thickness of socks. The color, brand, or style didn't matter a bit. We didn't care if they were stylish or clashed with our ensemble. They were WARM. Thank you, relatives, for the Christmas gifts of bulky, weird socks. And - whoa... This morning's Elixir has goaded my mind to remember a song. Huh. It's "Rainy Day People" by Gordon Lightfoot. Oh, yeah. A great song from back when I had hair. And a 32" waist. That was quite awhile ago. There's that one line I've always liked - "High-steppin' strutters that land in the gutters sometimes need one too." Yeah. Sometimes, especially during the hard times, the folks we appreciate most are the ones that love us. Just the way we are. The ones that have the "thickest" love. The warmest smiles. The best hugs. It's great to have 'em when life turns cold and harsh. And if they don't match our ensembles and clash with our social status, who gives a frozen moose flank about that, eh? Well, other than the moose... Yeah. Oughta change the title of the song, though. Just to make it more appropriate. How 'bout "Sub-Zero People"? I just went out to start Phlegm the Taurus.
And it's 13 below zero. Well, at least it's getting warmer. Phlegm protested a bit, swearing at me briefly by squealing his alternator belt. He then made a passing comment about my heritage before settling in with a disgusted growl. As I shut the door, I saw the left side mirror flop gently, hanging off beat-up duct tape. Yeah. That was a Christmas present I gave myself. I think a lump of coat would've been cheaper. It was the Friday before Christmas. I got to the Bank while the drive-up was still open. I pulled up to the window. Dawn, the teller, asked me to pull up a little bit more so the drawer wouldn't hurt the car. Ironic, in retrospect. So I pull forward and she runs out the drawer. I threw the car in park, took my foot off the brake, and reached for the check book. "Missed it by thiiiiiiiis much." I had almost made it to Park. I had it in Reverse. By taking my foot off the brake, I allowed Phlegm to do what he was being told. So he backed up. Into the solid steel drawer. And circumcised his left side mirror. Merry honkin' Christmas, eh? Since the Little-House-On-The-Corner is garage-less and 0 degrees has been a fond memory for a week or so, gluing it back on was out of the question. I had to use the Handy Man's Secret Weapon - duct tape. So Phlegm now has that droopy-eyed look going for him. Kind of a Sylvester Stallone thing. Yeah. Anyway, it made me realize what was important about Christmas. Relationships, not things. Especially relationships that will be slightly strained when things are explained. But for the time being, for the last two weeks, things are still functional. I find myself singing that Christmas Carol as I check the traffic behind me. "Joy to the world, the duct tape holds . . ." Yeah. Payback. Or Paying the Piper.
I waited up for TechnoBoy to make it back from a New Year's Eve party, so I pretty much determined how my New Year's Day would unfold. It is now the 2nd of January and I'm somewhat cognizant of my surroundings. I'm drinking the Elixir of Knowledge, without dribbling and slurring my words, and my mind is off running those mental rabbit trails while I stare at the laptop. Huh. Did you get anything for Christmas that brandishes the moniker "One Size Fits All"? You know that's a lie, right? A quick trip to any gathering of people shows the error of that statement. Okay. Sit in church and scope the congregation. Imagine her sweater going on that guy. Yeah. Him. Pardon? What - his blue jeans going on her? Oh, you are brutal! Blatantly obvious. And painfully true, eh? There's only one label that actually does a "One size fits all." And makes it work. You probably know it. "For God so loved the world that He gave . . ." Yeah. That's the one. So in this New Year, wear His grace and mercy proudly. You look great in it and it fits you very nicely. Oh. Well, thanks. Mine fits fantastic, too. |
AuthorDennis lives in the Little- House-On-The-Corner with the Wife and Techno-Boy, their teenage son. The DAGU ("Daughter All Grown Up") is now out on her own. Archives
April 2016
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