It's the day after Christmas. We went to the National Building Museum today, and then for a late lunch-slash-early dinner at the Irish Channel, one of our favorite places. Right now, I'm sitting on the family room couch of my once-again clean house. My 13-year-old son is playing Madden 18, trash-talking with his 11-year-old opponent over VOiP or whatever technology makes it possible for two boys who live a mile away to talk without a telephone or a radio. My son is wearing a brand-new Washington Capitals fleece pullover, slightly too big, a Christmas present from my sister-in-law; with fuzzy socks and sweatpants. A plate with a half-eaten slice of pie sits on the coffee table, and there's a fire in the fireplace. There are few moments of perfect contentment in life. For a 13-year-old boy, pie and Madden and fuzzy socks and Christmas vacation are the only necessary ingredients.
*****
It's the day before New Year's Eve, and Christmas vacation, always too short, is almost over. We visited family in Philadelphia for two days, and returned to an icy cold house. There was much more snow in Philadelphia than we have here, but it hasn't gotten anywhere near the freezing mark (moving upward, that is) either there or here. It's a few hours later now, and the house has warmed up considerably.
I woke up at my sister's house this morning, and decided to go out to our beloved Wawa to get coffee for the adults and breakfast treats for the kids. The snow was falling pretty heavily, and the street looked icy, but I was particularly determined to fight my natural inclination to stay inside.
As prone to irrational fear and panic attacks as I am, driving in bad weather does not scare me. I concentrate very intently when I'm driving on an icy road, and when the car begins to slide, I steer into the skid and pump the brakes (from the knee, not the ankle) and breathe deeply as I regain control of the car. I don't even panic as I watch other cars fishtailing and skidding; in fact, something almost opposite of panic occurs. I don't believe in Zen, but driving in the snow is as close to Zen as I ever get. I glanced at a tow truck that was preparing to tow a Corolla that had wiped out on Route 23, and kept driving. The coffee was delicious.
*****
4:40 PM on New Year's Day. At 4:00, the light was perfect, but now it's begun to fade. The days are getting just a tiny bit longer, but it'll still be dark in 30 minutes or so. Dark and very cold, but only for now. Happy New Year.
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