Winter! Just outside my window. We woke up this morning to this and it made me wonder; what is so magical about snow?
For the past two days I have experienced something that I have never before known in my 66 years. It was too cold to walk outside. I have continued to keep up some of my friendships by walking together while we converse on our phones. On Friday and Saturday I had two such dates and had to cancel at the last minute. On Friday I actually got dressed and ready to go thinking "30 degrees with a windchill that feels like 18 degrees" is not going to stop me. Then I walked out my door. That wind and cold hit me and my California softness so hard. The next day all I had to do was look at my weather app (I did that from my cozy spot in bed with my jammies still on). But then the magic of this morning changed my grumpiness to wonder. Now it is 32 degrees with no windchill, just snow falling from the sky. I think I shall go for a walk!
We are starting to feel at home here. Yesterday we went on a drive to see adjoining cities outside of Alexandria. The first part of the drive, as we went to Arlington, our GPS took us down a street that looked a lot like El Camino Real (and not the charming part). Yuck was an initial response. We drove through Arlington, then Falls Church and into Fairfax and Vienna. I was hoping to fall in love with Vienna. My favorite movie is "The Sound of Music" and I have always wanted to go to Austria to have a Von Trapp family experience. So Vienna, VA seemed like it might be an apt substitute. Although it was a beautiful and sunny and crisply cold day, a kind of day where everything could look so promising, I was not wowed by any of these suburban cities. As we went out of our way to take the George Washington Parkway back to Alexandria, we passed the Arlington National Cemetery and glanced the National Cathedral and Washington Monument across the river. I said to Thomas "I know where we are" and he said, "it's starting to feel like home". A cautious (and welcome) sigh of relief.
I am reminded again of how challenging it is to start a new life in the middle of a pandemic. Earlier this week, when I was painfully missing my friends and the familiar comfort of my old life, I uttered the unspeakable ~ "maybe we made a mistake". It did not take me long to talk myself down. I reminded myself that we have come to this new place and the only people we know and can associate with are our children and their families. I feel a deep desire to have my own life here. I want to meet like-minded people; particularly like-minded people of my own generation. As it is all we can do to venture out is wave to the neighbors we do not know and nod to the people we pass six plus feet apart as we are walking to Old Town or taking the dogs for an adventure. We are anxiously awaiting our vaccines in Virginia and wondering, if we had stayed in California, would we already have an appointment? Covid continues to remind us to be patient (certainly not my strong suit) and lean in to the present.
Speaking of my generation...I always thought I should adventure in this way in my younger days. I grew up in the South Bay and ended up going to college 50 miles away. The most adventure I experienced was living in Seattle for one autumn and going to UC Santa Barbara for a few quarters. I was so homesick I just couldn't stay. I watched my children venture away from home with gusto and have the experiences that are meant for the young and unencumbered. In a way they both felt what I felt but was too terrified to endeavor; the world is big and new experiences can be rich. So I do it now realizing something about time that they have not even begun to glimpse. The upside is this ~ the terror is gone and in its place is a yearning to lean in to the present adventure.
Don't think about access to the vaccine being better in California, It's like the
"Hunger Games" out here. The roll out has not been going well, especially if you
are a Kaiser member. Love the snow. Stay warm and cozy.
Using the word adventure to describe your experience seems like such an upbeat perspective. And leaning into it appears to be a delightful transition. I admire your forward moving steps. Finding new friends in your age group will certainly make a big difference but the combination of winter and pandemic make that challenging at least for now.
I can so relate to your experience of winter. Growing up in the Chicago area, I remember that it was sometimes so cold that it burned. Once after a freezing rain, the roads were impossible to drive so my sister and I ice-skated to school down the middle of empty streets. I remember loving it. But sleet was a different story. Probably the…
You both know that I am envious, and remain so, of such a big adventure at your ages (old middle age? Young old people?) with so much to absorb and learn, about yourselves as well as your new environment. I especially was moved by your phrase, the terror is gone, with a yearning to lean into the present.
I can pretty much assure you that you would not have the vaccine by now if you were still in Cali. Unless you were prepared to do some pushing and shoving in some way. And jeepers, it's cold here too! My god it's been 45' out there. And muddy now. Another piece of HWY 1 fell out, just south of Big Sur-- looks pretty bad but hoping that will be the worst of it. ..................... so anyway, you did not make a mistake. No use looking at it like that. Glad you're finding how to lean into the challenge. That will be so much more fun. xooxoxoxoxoxoxoxm
Such a brave adventure you are on, thank you for sharing the struggles and the joy. Having grown up on the east coast I remember the long winter and days of unending dirty snow, ice, and slush. Then mother nature decides that she too has had enough and out pops a crocus. So hang in there get outside and as they say in MT, "there is no bad weather just bad clothing". Miss you too, love to H,N and T, xomm