Day off, day on

My regular job gives me Wednesdays and Sundays off. Fridays and Saturdays the shop shuts at 5pm; the other three days I work 'til 7pm.

Yesterday, my mid-week break, was one of those weird weather days when a departing warm-air mass gave us our warmest temps at dawn. An approaching cold front took it downhill from there -- a 5am high of 52 degrees skidded into the teens by nightfall. High winds made it brutally cold throughout the day.

I had no desire to go out and, but for quick runs to the post office and the older spawn's school, I didn't.

I returned to work mid-morning today, chased by a steady 35mph north wind and powdery squalls. The last four miles of my workday drive wind through farmland, and skiffs of snow laced the long fields this morning. I was struck by the sight of the thin layer of white drifting over a green haze of winter plantings.

As usual, I stopped at the gas station across from the shop, bought a cup of hot coffee and parked my truck in the village grocer's lot to sit for a few minutes and collect my thoughts. As I settled in, the snow became heavy and the wind picked up. I watched as a mini-blizzard blanketed the humble little town, softening its rough edges.

An hour later, much of the snow had blown away or melted in the midday sun. The mercury stayed in the teens all day, however, and the wind persisted. My regular forays into the shop's salvage yard were exercises in endurance, bundled and braced against the cold.

Beyond reminding me that I'm alive, the (relative) discomfort has its advantages. I'm using it to teach myself -- a 52-year-old man who piloted a desk far too long -- many things that I'd forgotten. Staying inside the shop isn't an option, regardless of the weather, so I've resolved to wring lessons from the (relative) adversity.

I slid my parka-clad self back into the truck around 7:15pm tonight for the commute home. The cold engine was reluctant to turn over. The windows were frozen shut. I was ten minutes down the road before the interior had warmed enough for me to take off my gloves.

A steaming pot of vegetable soup, along with the warmth of my family, greeted me at home.

Honest labor brings rewards. Present challenges bring bright perspective. Strange as it seems, I've never known such riches.