TheBanyanTree: Presidents' Day

[Margaret R. Kramer]

I wish I would have taken Presidents’ Day off.  I’ve always liked having
this mid-winter Monday off, but when I took this new job, I went from four
weeks vacation down to two weeks, so I hoard vacation days.  Two weeks can
go fast.  I have six days to use by July 1.  I keep them close to me like
precious gold.  And we don’t get holidays like Presidents’ Day off.  We get
“floaters” which we can use for holidays like this, four “floaters” a year,
but I like to hoard those, too.  I can’t save any money, but I sure can save
vacation days.  You can see where my values are at.  Time off trumps
everything.

So I’m not taking tomorrow off.  I’ll trudge into work and watch the clock
tick off the hours until I can go home.  The best part about tomorrow is
that the traffic will be light.  A lot of people take tomorrow off even if
their companies don’t give the day off, because their kids are out of school
and a lot of daycares are closed, so the parents stay home, too.

Americans have such a weird work ethic – work, work, work.  Then we buy,
buy, buy, and come home and eat, eat, eat while we watch TV.

Well, anyway, there is the lightest of snowfalls this morning.  The tiny
snowflakes are floating gently to the ground as there is no wind.  So far
this year, we’ve had a measly 12 inches of snow.  By now, we should have had
30 inches or more.  We’re coming out of our cold snap and should be above
freezing this week.  Our small amount of snow will melt and our colors will
turn again to the Thanksgiving browns.

The sun was out in full force yesterday, but looks were deceiving.  It was a
raw day, the wind was howling from the north.  I went for a run around Como
Lake and I needed every bit of layered clothing I was wearing.  I’d turn a
corner around the lake and whoosh, that cold wind would hit me full force.
I almost forgot my scarf and I was so glad I went back for it.  My face
would have been frostbitten for sure.

Even though it was bone chilling cold, I like running in the winter, once I
get going and my body warms up.  There weren’t a lot of people walking or
running around the lake.  There was some people ice fishing on the lake.  It
was quiet, even with the wind howling.  I ran around the lake twice, which
is three miles, and then gratefully got into my warm car and went home.

Don’t let me fool you, I’m the slowest runner in the world.  I’m the fattest
runner in the world.  I’m short and wide bodied and I’m sure most of the
real runners with their long legs and thin torsos wonder what the heck I’m
doing out there (and I wonder the same thing).  I struggle to get through
three miles and I often try to imagine how people can run 26 miles without
breaking a sweat (or so it seems to me).

But I like running even though it is torture.  It’s good exercise and gets
me outside even when the weather isn’t perfect.  I get tired of being inside
at the gym.

Speaking of the gym, I’ll head over there later this morning.  It’s packed
on Sundays during the winter.  There’s a yoga class at 11:00 am.  Lots of
people come in with their yoga mats and yoga pants and their bare feet to
become pretzels for an hour .  All the cardio machines are full.  The free
weights are clanging constantly.  I zig and zag around everyone to get my
routine done.  Then I sit in the sauna before taking a shower.

I’m hoping to have some time to do a little scrapbooking this afternoon.
Then it’s dinner, maybe I’ll do some reading (I’m reading two books right
now).  I’ll head to bed early so I can get up early (and then I lay awake
all night worrying about whether or not I’ll be able to get up early and not
oversleep) and celebrate President’s Day by going to the gym for that
morning workout and then driving on in to work, being the devoted employee
that I am.

Margaret R. Kramer
margaretkramer at comcast.net

I love thee to the depth and breadth and height my soul can reach.
~Elizabeth Barrett Browning