Aniron

A February Sunset

Simple gifts.  They are the things of this world which bring me the longest-lasting joy.  Like a beautiful sunset on a cold, wintry day.

I entered our bedroom quietly yesterday evening, knowing that my husband was taking his nap -- as he always does when he gets home from work.  I came upstairs to get something from our bathroom, but I was immediately distracted by the hint of amber light seeping through the blinds.  My heart smiled.  Eau yeah.

I tiptoed over and quietly opened them.

And there it was...the glowing amber and crimsons of sunset,

accessorized with steel-blue clouds, a stark contrast

to Earth's blanket of white.

My camera just happened to be on the dresser...Yay!

I managed to open the blinds and capture this fleeting promise.

And then just as quietly,

I tiptoed out of the room,

happy to have captured yet another celestial masterpiece.

He never even knew I was there.

 

Kiss Me Like You Mean It

So we tried making reservations last week at a local restaurant that I like for Valentine's Day and they were booked.  We tried Choice 2.  Then Choice 3.  Even 4.  Everyone was already booked.  What?  Really?  I guess it's because Valentine's Day falls on a Friday this year.

Then we decided to celebrate a day early (yesterday) to beat the crowd, and the plan was to meet at the restaurant after work.  But yesterday was the winter storm and they closed the courthouse, the roads were a mess, and it was not a good day to hang around in the city unnecessarily.  Guess it wasn't meant to be.

So I'm hoping that we can get tickets to see Winter's Tale.  Usually if it's a love story I'm wanting to see, I'm on my own.  But since it's Valentine's Day, I'm calling the shots.  So.  A love story it is.

Flowers are overrated and overpriced, and I'm not even into roses for that matter.  And I definitely don't need candy, since I'm trying to drop some extra weight now anyway.  A piece of jewelry would be nice ... maybe a nice bottle of wine ... a yummy candle ... a good love story ... but the most simple and basic of all for this low-maintenance woman?  

A knock-me-off-my-feet breathtaking kiss. 

It is the passion that is in a kiss

that gives to it its sweetness;

it is the affection in a kiss that sanctifies it.

Christian Nevell Bovee

So. 

Don’t just stand there.

Kiss me.

Dear Valentine ...

Court is Cancelled

That was by order of our circuit judge this morning, our docket cancelled due to the horrible road conditions from the winter storm.  Of course, this was AFTER I'd managed to make the long and tedious commute, a little over an hour of single-lane, snow-covered interstate highway.  I called before leaving home to make sure we still had a docket.  Confirmed.  And just as I was entering the back entrance to our courthouse, one of the bailiffs gave me the news.  Cancelled. Great.

I made myself a cup of coffee, caught up on some filing, phone calls, and then headed home by noon, the courthouse by that time having been ordered closed.

I've earned some nap time.  I'll light a candle, turn on my rain and ocean waves sound machine, and let myself drift into slumber while winter orchestrates the afternoon.

(Prisoners being returned to the regional jail)

The view out the jury room window

"This is a message from ... Schools Will Be Closed Today..."

The familiar message repeated once more on our answering machine, as I make my way to the coffee pot in the early morning get-at-it hours of my day.  I've lost count how many school days we've missed with this winter's arctic blast, and who knows what effect this will have on their make-up-days calendar.  It's not good, seeing my son lying around lazily when he should be in school.  Lucky for me, I have a son who is scholastically driven (like his oldest brother), who's never had to be reminded to do homework or to improve on his grades -- he rarely brings home a B.  I'm blessed.  But the laziness I refer to spills over into his 15-year-old-soon-to-be-21 attitude, making it a hostile environment for otherwise harmonious family gatherings.  A little too much Entitlement Syndrome has sneaked in with those frigid drafts from the doors and windows.

Coffee at this hour tastes almost indulgent, warming both my body AND soul.

Time stands still.

Whisper-quiet moments to think...sort...reflect...plan.  To wonder.  Endearing moments nearest to my heart.

Having recommitted (again) in the last couple of weeks to a keener focus on my diet and eating habits, I systematically scrutinize each day's degree of success or failure.  It is no easy task in these long, cold, dreary winter days when we are starved for euphoria, confusing our physical appetites with our emotional appetites.  Take yesterday.  I caved around 3 pm when I discovered a forgotten bag of M&M's in my desk drawer that someone had given to me.  They'd found their way back to the far recesses somehow.  In my mind -- my MIND -- I thought I needed something sweet, deceived by indulgent urges for "comfort and joy."  I ate the M&M's.  One by one, pledging to stop after "this next one," until they were all gone.  And then I had three pieces of stale chocolate that had been in my candy jar on my desk since Christmas.  Shame taking stage, my guilt was consuming me.  Conversations with myself ensue.

Look at you.  What are you doing?  You've done so well, you're making progress, and you feel better, look better, and now this?  Why?  Are you proud of yourself?  Do you realize that this indulgence has set you up for the proverbial oh-to-hell-with-it evening binge that usually follows the initial white-flag lapse in focus?  Now what are you going to do about it?  What?  Where now?  How ya gonna fix this?

After drinking two big glasses of water and taking a cinnamon tablet from my pill dispenser (yes, I keep them on hand) to help regulate the blood sugar spike, I promised myself that I would exercise control for the rest of the evening, get in a good workout, and try my best to regain the focus I'd lost.

It worked.  On arriving home, I took a long walk, followed by five sets of 20 walking lunges around my neighborhood (what do people think when they look out their windows and see the crazy woman doing lunges out in the street?), and three run/walk intervals.  I'd worked up a great sweat, my mood was elevated, my focus corrected, and not surprisingly, my cravings had vanished.  I ended up eating a salad for dinner with a couple ounces of lean roast beef and a container of yogurt with green tea just before bed.

It's great to wake up respecting oneself.  Another day behind me, I embrace the challenges, temptations and sacrifices of a new one.  My goal was set two weeks ago.  May 31st.  Rid these 12-15 lbs that I've gained since Christmas before it gets completely out of hand.  How did I allow it to get THIS far?

Winter can be cruel.

I Want to Love You Wildly