Oh the weather outside is frightful,
But the fire is so delightful,
And since we've no place to go,
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
Last week was the coldest week on record in Alberta. -50C (-72F for another frame of reference) is an unbearable kind of chill. It is the weather that exists only in polar regions and should never involve the words "work" or "on time" or "not so bad". And yet we slogged through--I went to work, I sent my kids to school (walking some days!) and almost everyone in my classes attended. It was dark when I came to work and it was dark again when I left. I suppose you could say I was surviving but only just barely.
It doesn't show signs of Pausing,
And I've bought some corn for popping,
The lights are turned way down low,
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
Survival is a coping mechanism, I think, that allows people the luxury of pretending that everything is Ok, that things have not frozen themselves into a state of inaction.
We have had some blackout periods in the last week--when it is so dark the night has no respite from the inkiness that spreads from horizon to horizon, it is a frightening thing.
On one night in particular, I was driving along when the power went out and suddenly my only frame of reference was the circle of light cast by my headlights. I felt alone, isolated, afraid and a little exhilarated. It was so novel to trust in the lay of the land, to notice the small nuances of the drive, the lines of headlights that stretched before me and behind me.
When the lights came back up I was disoriented, like rediscovering the truths of the world, the things that I hadn't noticed before coming up into the brightness of the artificial day. And I felt glad, suddenly, the fear of the moment fading away as the twinkle of the lights lit up my children and my home crackled to life once again.
The fire is slowly dying,
And, my dear, we're still good-bying,
But as long as you love me so,
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
And so it goes...
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