Stopping And Smelling The Roses

I didn't even know if I was going to leave the house today because there was a forecast of freezing ice that was going to make the roads slippery and treacherous.  But the roads were fine, perfect even (well, as perfect as land with snow and ice already on it can be), so I went out mainly to get tested but also to check on my storage unit (where I then decided I might as well pay for my unit for the next year) and get gasoline for my car.  (I also ate Taco Bell.)

I wish I didn't have stuff to do and instead just note the weather.  Because today, it was perfect -- well, not entirely, but this afternoon had many elements I love in a day.  It was mostly cloudy and not too cold.  It actually was above freezing during much of the afternoon.  Sure, I wish there were no snow and ice on the ground so I don't slip and fall.  And it could be 20 (or 30, or even 10) degrees warmer.  But it should be cooler today, and it could be much cooler today, and it's not.  And so, after I left my storage unit, even though I told Mother I would be home by 3, I decided I was going to go to a park.  I need to get a walk in, and this afternoon had very good conditions in which to walk.  Alas, I couldn't find the nearest park to my storage unit, and I figured I shouldn't waste too much time finding another one.

But I thought of something once I got home, however.  I first wanted to take a picture of both ends of my street, as well as my house.  Just a late-January snapshot of the place I call home, and it was beautiful.  But then I thought, "Hey, maybe my sister's best friend's mother is on her stoop, also enjoying the deceptively beautiful day like I am!"  Actually, there was little-to-no chance she would do that; she's old and she's in a chair, so it wouldn't be wise nor safe for her to be outside for too long.  But thinking that she might be there was enough for me to get my "exercise" in, so I walked down a couple houses, looked to see that no one was outside, and I walked back.  And in that, oh, 20 yards back and forth, I looked up at the gray, overcast sky, breathed in and out, felt warm (really, above freezing is not cold so long as you're dressed competently), and got in my appreciation of this winter day.  I don't know if I'll have the time, and I don't know if the weather will be as accommodating in the future (even though I did something similar just before Christmas, and the weather isn't always that conducive to exercising outdoors then, either).  But I should do more of this -- walking and appreciating.