Everything Will Be Alright

Come Monday… Most Steelers fans, I’d imagine, are leaping out of bed with reckless abandon in anticipation of showing up at their places of employment ready to gloat and bask in the glory of their team’s triumphant return to the pinnacle of their sport. And sadly, at the other end of that spectrum, diehard Seahawk fans are struggling to muster the energy to remove themselves from the confines of their bed sheets, wishing instead that the weather would usher in a “snow day” so that they might for another day avoid the reality of what might have been. I can speak of this knowingly, because as a life long Viking, I have experienced the let down of losing a Super Bowl four times. But next year is my team’s year. I can feel it in my bones. Well, it’s either that, or maybe gas! J For me, waking up wasn’t so bad. I got going at 5:45am – just a few minutes later than usual. I went through my usual routine with one exception. Because I left my mobile grooming kit at Mindy’s last night, I had to take an extra minute to throw a temporary kit together (toothbrush, toothpaste, and hair brush). Driving to work, I was again reminded how picturesque the view is from I-270 at the Scioto-Darby Creek Rd overpass. One of these days … I arrived to work filled with energy and ready to tackle the best the new week could throw my way. Before even unlocking my office door I paid homage to the Steelers fans. You see, by me initiating the accolades, it disarms them to a certain degree. It’s my way of controlling the situation. Enough about the Super Bowl, though. My Monday morning was busier than usual, but still not too ridiculous. My co-worker and friend, Bill stopped by mid-morning for some weekend catch up. We talked for almost an hour. He’s an interesting character. Before I knew it, the morning was over and it was time to go for my run. The temperature had reached a balmy 29 degrees by the time I was dressed for my run. Again, I wore three winter layers, which was more than enough for the day’s chill. The fact that we’ve had unusually warm temps of late has somewhat diminished my resilience to the cold, so erring on the side of warmth is important. I knew, too, that there was a brisk 17-20 mph breeze blowing almost directly out of the west, meaning that I’d be coldest on my run out before I had a chance to generate body heat. The run went well. Between my warm layers, sunglasses, music, and the bill of my hat, I cut through the stiff wind like a hot knife through butter. After my run I returned to my office for round #2. My afternoon was focused. Before I realized it, it was quitting time. And after a quick review of needs, I had a direct trip home – no stops! I made it home before 5:25pm. After dumping my daily haul I leashed up Ykraps and took to our usual evening path. I was back at home by 5:35pm – I remember looking to the clock. While starting the task of prepping coffee and washing my lunch containers Mindy arrived. It was, after all, a Mindy Monday. Mindy seemed exceptionally happy this evening and was dressed in one of her newer outfits; one that I picked out a few weeks ago at Macy’s. She didn’t keep it on long, however. I saw to that! J OK, that’s not true. The truth is that she saw to that. She changed into some comfortable sweats. In tow were the leftovers from our Sunday Super Bowl dinner (cornish hens, green bean casserole, garlic-cheesy bread, and gingerbread). And while the leftovers warmed, Mindy made fresh garden salads. As they often are, the leftovers were as good or better than fresh out of the oven. The minced garlic gave the Cornish hens a wonderful complementary flavor, thus over riding any need to add additional seasoning or drown them in ranch dressing. Delicious! After dinner Mindy delivered on the back rub she had promised earlier in the day. The knots in my back don’t stand a chance against her! To add to the atmosphere, while at the same time combat the cold, we built a warm fire. Too, I tuned into some classical music for our listening pleasure. We spent the remainder of the evening relaxing on the family room floor next to the warmth of the roaring fire. Not a bad way to spend any Monday evening! Mindy departed around 9:20pm or so. I posted Sunday’s blog entry, but was careful not to spend too much time doing so. You see, If I am not careful I can blow an hour like nothing. Instead, I spent only about 5-10 minutes so that I could spend the next 40 minutes playing guitar and reading. I guess you could say that I had “a greater yes burning inside”. I wanted to be asleep by 10:30am.