377 days, Blog #155 an accidental good day

Today was a good day.

It was a day that one could claim had gone awry.  I woke up – begrudgingly – in that darkened hour of winter morning. (NB -  I don’t use the alarm on my alarm clock.  I just wake myself an hour ‘early’ and turn on the radio until the news report at a certain hour mandates I have to face the reality of day.)  I really didn’t want to get up and leave the warmth of my flannel sheets.  Then, when I did, I realized the darkness wasn’t giving way to sunshine because it was snowing.

Ah well… I went about my normal routine figuring I would just add a quick driveway clearing to that routine – even if it was going to get covered again anyway because the snow wasn’t letting up.  But even before I put on my coat and boots (which were in my freezing cold car anyway – so really?) I decided to wait it out.  The road didn’t even look like it had seen a plow.  Plus, I left my thermal coffee mug somewhere… and I might as well just stick out the extra hour, enjoy a cup of coffee, and check email (work email, really)… and maybe take an ornament or two off the tree.

Well, I started the deconstruction of the tree and the snow wasn’t letting up.  So I went back to that work email and updated my I’m coming in late message to I’m just going to stay home today.  

Yeah…

I don’t need to fill you in with the play by play.  But something about this stolen day made me more productive.  I got lots of household tasks accomplished – including the bittersweet disposal of that Christmas tree and all the needles.  Seriously.  There were a lot of needles.

I also got to shovel.  After yesterday’s bitter cold, being in the winter air was triumphant.  Glorious.  I loved every lung expanding breath of it.  Especially at an hour when I would normally be confined to a gaze at a spreadsheet or Outlook on my computer in my quarantined from daylight office…

… and I realized… how very much I miss having a day that isn’t spent at a desk.  It’s been nearly a decade since that wasn’t my daily ritual.  I mean… that is what I actually liked about working in a museum… but now… even that has morphed into the tedium of data and sitting and … not being outside.

Food for thought.  But irrelevant to my original point.

Today was good.  It was good because it was productive.  It was quiet.  It was clean snow.  A fire in the wood stove.  Cleaning away the cobwebs.  Cooking.  Preparing for a party tomorrow.  And a good opportunity to clear my head for the madness that begins this weekend.

You see, dear Reader, my current theatrical project just went into hyper drive last night.  The director of the show I was stage managing stepped down.  I have been selected to be his replacement.  And while, yes, I suppose I could have used this day to go over the script and scramble to find my replacement as stage manager… I rather relished another series of paces pushing snow and contemplating how I will block certain scenes.  How I will take the set design into practicality.  And how I will learn from my past mistakes to be a good better director.

I was annoyed by the snow at first.  Because I really am kind of crazy about my driveway.  But then… I realized, it was the universe giving me the day.  A good day.  A day I really needed.