My Least Favorite Weather

January 9, 2024
Beloved:

          Golden retrievers are water dogs, bred to follow hunters through wetlands and fetch shot ducks out of lakes and ponds, soft-mouthing them back with hardly a feather out of place.  Birdy has never touched a duck, but she does beg to go lie on the driveway in this cold winter rain.  Her outer coat can be soaked but her kinky undercoat keeps her body dry and warm.  She also fetches pacifiers from under the crib and soft-mouths them back to the giggling toddler.

          Snow - yes please.  Rain - no thank you, the worst as far as I’m concerned.  No other weather comes inside my house or makes me work like winter rain – all those gritty muddy paw prints, dirty shoes and dampy clothes.  The floorboards of my car get extra messy.  On days I’m required to go out, I never feel really warm or dry.  I feel poorly even if I’m not.  So for the exercise, I thought I’d find something to appreciate about my least favorite weather.  In a minute, I  found myself remembering pandemic, when staying home was required and I realized how long a day really lasted when no errands were allowed and no time spent driving to and from work.  No time getting ready for work nor coming home and unpacking, changing clothes to start the evening routine.  Just one long stretch of time, so much time, time to read, nap and cook even as we worked.  Meanwhile the bank account got just a little flusher, for staying home to eat and all of those missed and not so necessary errands.

          Believe me when I say I don’t miss pandemic a bit, except for maybe that one bit where I learned something about what is and isn’t necessary, about how much time a day contains when the necessary holds sway.  So little that I fret over will prove itself to have been necessary, I suspect.  So I want to fret over as little as possible.  Easier said than done, amen?  I don’t know how simply to not fret.  I only know how to do the next thing in front of me without letting the worries cause me to stall.  They may be on the edge of my mind, but as long as they don’t invade the day and level me completely, I choose to count that as a win, count that as not fretting.  It’s all I know to do these days, and for me it’s working.  Joy still seeps through the cracks and I find my heart a little lighter.

          I made the puppy come inside.  Her fur is standing on end like she’s used pomade all over.  The rain has stopped for now and she’s content behind my desk chair, blocking me in while she dreams and snores.  She has it all figured out, I think:  rush into nothing and nap as much as possible.  And be ready for snacks, always be ready for snacks.  I pray the day treats you gently, and you know some joy seeping through the cracks.