The experience of cold

So much for being dormant. Maybe the cold woke me up.

Yesterday was the expected coldest day of the week so we bundled accordingly. When I got up at six and had a look at the yahoo front page it informed me that my location was currently at -6 (that's Fahrenheit). I didn't believe it.

During my run on the elliptical the news said something much warmer, like 7 or 8 or maybe even higher. We bundled anyway, got into the car and drove to the end of the driveway like the babies we are and waited with the engine running for the bus. We like to watch the temp gage drop.

And drop it did, one degree at a time until it got down to about 11 and I thought, oh good, it's getting warmer and she got on the bus.

On the way to the train station I happened to glance at the thermometer and it read 4. Wow, I thought. Then I noticed the little minus sign to the left. Not possible, I'm thinking. Then I see 3 and then 2 and when it hit 0 the minus sign went away. At 1 a plus showed up (who knew?) and there it stayed all the way to the station and through the entire 20 minute wait for the train.

I went into the station coffee house for a bottle of water to keep in my backpack and the woman was so very cold despite the space heaters around the place. I was looking for a publication called Natural Awakenings, she had no idea what I was talking about. I went back to waiting.

I looked like a bear walking from the station to the office. Polar fleece hood pulled up tight over my head and down onto my forehead. Hood of long down coat pulled up over that and both fleece and coat zipped up well over chin.

By the time I reached the office I marched straight to the ladies room hauled everything else and then nearly soaked my head to get the static out of my hair. I left muddy foot prints on the floor and then made my way to my desk and got on with it.

Later we went out at lunch and it wasn't nearly as bad and the walk much shorter and on the way back I got some actual yoga pants that won't fall down (maybe) this morning and warmer sweats to wear afterward.

When I walked back to the station it was probably 10. It felt positively balmy.

I think this year I am OK with the cold. It allows me to really experience what warm means.