22 Degrees

Whoa! I tossed and turned all through the night. Most of that was due to a moderately stuffy head and an extremely dry throat – sure fire signs of an approaching cold. I forced myself up and out of bed at 5:20am despite an urge for more sleep. Once I was up the symptoms all but subsided. I took my One-A-Day and then completed a full set of exercises. For a brief second here or there I continued to experience minor cold symptoms. But each time they would vanish. While walking Ykraps I figured it to be one of the coldest mornings yet this season. It was 22 degrees and clear – a near normal winter type morning. Back home it was still only 5:45am. I enjoyed my first cup of coffee and some internet time. I read the Daily OM and checked headlines up until 6:00am. It was time to deliver Mindy’s coffee. I returned downstairs to meditate and then ready for my run. Meditation went extraordinarily well. At 6:20am I upped and readied for my run. It was in the low 20’s so I wore two wicking shirts – the top layer was sleeveless under my jacket. I wore my new gloves and ear covers too. I was very comfortable. I again listened to Sunny 95 XMAS music. Very nice so early in the morning. The sky was very clear so dawn seemed to come earlier than most other days. I was back home just after 7am.Mindy asked that I take over egg duty while she handled more pressing matters relative to her departure. I did. The kids were very excited to wake and find the tree adorned with lights. It’s the little things! We ate our breakfasts but it wasn’t long before Mindy and Bella headed out. Just as they were departing I remembered to feed & water the lizards and salamander. I was showered and ready for work by 7:44am. We had a few spare minutes to relax. I chose to warm the Trooper, though, since it was covered in a thick coating of frost. Jacob rode to the bus stop with me. We got out and toughed out the chill. It was already warming up as the sun cut through the cold. It was expected to reach 52 degrees later in the day. The bus arrived at 8:03am and soon I was on my way to work. Instead of ESPN radio, I listened to the Tao Now! It was calming. I arrived at work at 8:17am and happily made my way into the office. The morning went by quickly leading up to our regularly scheduled 11am staff meeting. We met for a little more than 1.5 hrs. It was a busy afternoon too. I decided early on to work straight through without taking an official lunch. I did stop and pay a couple of bills online. I worked until 5:20pm. The last couple hours flew by. I phoned Mindy once I was completely settled on the road home. Traffic was backed up to a crawl on I-270 south. I was already committed to it so I just sucked it up. We talked for the entire drive home. The kids were gone with their dad until 7:30pm. Mindy would leave for choir at 6:30pm. I’d have an hour to myself. We spent the next 45 minutes walking Ykraps and discussing some Xmas logistics. It wasn’t long before Mindy had to depart. I thought that I might steal a nap but never did. Instead, I got wrapped up in pictures and the internet. I kept checking the time, and before I knew it was 7:45pm yet the children weren’t home. But a few minutes later they arrived. Jim dropped them off and bolted. They seemed to be in good moods. Because of the hour, I whisked them upstairs to ready for bed. We skipped a bath and instead went straight to jammies and tooth brushing. Back downstairs, Jacob and I played checkers while Peanut played with marbles. We played three games. I won them all. Mindy arrived home between 815pm and 830pm. She greeted everyone then rushed the kids off to bed. I headed up for the final tuck. Back downstairs I was hungry. I woofed down a handful or two of Triscuits and then found my way to the big chair. I tuned into a basketball game but only to aid in drifting off to sleep. Once again, very minor cold-like symptoms kicked in. I was asleep before 9pm. I woke just before 9:30pm and headed up to bed. Mindy, I realized, was up watching the Buckeyes basketball game. That’s a switch!