This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

A NEW BOOK

I had two wonderful visits yesterday despite being totally snowbound.  One was with Will, who facetimes me with precision every Friday evening and the other with my beloved friend and cousin, Lou.
They have never met and for geographical reasons, most likely never will.  Will is living in northern MI, and Lou is a longtime resident of Johnstown, PA.  Both are incredibly important in my life despite the difference in age, and equally important in giving me advice.
When I told Will about my facetime call with Lou, he asked, "How old is he Grandma?"
When I told him 90, Will spoke with his always constant honesty.  "He is really old."  And as I told him that even though people age, sometimes their spirits stay young and relevant, I thought despite the difference in their ages, they both share an enthusiasm for living.
After our call ended, and I thought about our conversation, I began to think about how old I am.  Truly something I don't spend much time doing.  But then I recalled one significant detail.  I am so old I remember members of my family going to a window and saying, "Look.  It is snowing."  Now, of course, we are alerted days in advance with warnings of the amount of precipitation, temperature changes, and long range forecasts.  And, of course, equally and maybe even more important, road conditions and closings.
What a wonderful advance in dealing with weather and the problems it can present.
When I looked out my window Friday morning, it was a winter wonderland.  The trees were coated with crystal, and the road enveloped in a magnificent white blanket, and thanks to our incredible technology, I was prepared.  The dinner party I hosted on New Year's Day had left me with ample leftovers, all carefully wrapped and waiting for the microwave.
Both my Ipad and Cell phone were fully charged, and I had purchased extra batteries for flashlights, and even a few Yankee Candles to add a bit of romantic glow should the power fail.
My bills had been put in the mail earlier so no late charges could be applied if there was a delay in processing the mail.
I had purchased ink refills for my printer in case I wanted to print out my latest short story, and a 5 lb. bag of King Arthur's flour if I decided
to make bread.
2014 is another book to be opened.  I don't know if it is a mystery or another adventure.  Will it have a happy ending or perhaps wind down differently?  I won't know until it is over, but I know it is opening with an explosion of weather challenging all of us and yet astounding us with the power of nature.  It is defying expectations of scheduled appointments (hairdressers, luncheons) and yet giving us the gift of time to just breathe, move at our own pace, remember and rejoice in being alive.
There could be two versions of the time I have spent indoors at the very onset of a new exciting period of my life.  From a negative viewpoint, I definitely did not begin the scheduled diet (the leftovers were just too good) and I didn't continue shredding the old records clogging up my files.
On the positive side, I baked great French bread from a Jacques Pepin recipe, wrote a short story, and added CRACKEL to my Ipad apps.  My budget plans did not go as planned since I found gorgeous coffee mugs from Green Mountain on sale minus 40 per cent.  But as strange as it may sound, I have had fun.
My hiatus from reality will not last long, the road is clearing as I write.  I will join the outside world within a few hours, and my pace of life will accelerate again.  But it has been a total joy to admire a quiet world embraced in a gentle blanket of white power.
And once more to give thanks for the adventure of life.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?