I Don't Wanna!

This has been the craziest week (er...10 days) ever. It's been fun. It's been kind of boring at some points, but it's just SO incredibly out of the realm of "normal" that it's been mostly nothing but interesting and exciting for people like me. And by "people like me" I mean people who really believe and practice the philosophy that "an inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered; an adventure is an inconvenience rightly considered". I never actually heard this until a year or two ago, but turns out, that's my natural state of being. It's totally true, too. Anything's an adventure if you approach it the right way.

I love how my lovely little town felt so banded together in this, partly in the "we'll muddle through" kind of way but also in the "hey! Look at this! This is great!" kind of way. I love that snowman outside my corner store. I love that I saw the owner building it at 2am while I drifted up King Street in a starry eyed embrace. I love the piles of boots and coats that populate entrances of public places. I love pink cheeks and bright eyes. I love the collective freeing feeling of No Work Ever Again! I love the people watching that happened. It was, as I've frequently stated, intense. First rule of Snowmageddon: There Are No Rules. And how.

It's already lost a lot of its sheen--the roads are getting progressively clearer and clearer and we've all adjusted to this (temporary) New Normal.  (Heck, they're calling for 4 inches of snow tomorrow and no one seems to even notice. 2 weeks ago, that was enough to clear the stores of milk, eggs and toilet paper). This bizarre parallel universe we've been living in is necessarily ephemeral. Nothing like that can be permanent--it only even existed precisely because it's so abnormal and temporary that there's really nothing to do BUT cheerfully roll with it and maybe go a little crazy. Like the electric excitement that comes with first kisses, it can't be recreated or recaptured. It just was. And now it's gone.

Our slow return to normal, of course, is a good thing. For me in particular. I dragged my bike back outside last night and rode the 3 miles to my friends' house in Del Ray. First time in 10 days I was on the bike, and the farthest I've been from my house since February 4. It was the annual Valentine's Day party: watching the Princess Bride en masse, laughing, eating and enjoying company. This year was particularly special because two of our friends just welcomed their first child into the world three short weeks ago. It was great to meet him.  Some photos:

 

  

I left a bit early to head to Bistrot Lafayette for the return of piano bar night!  There was the tail end of a private party going on, otherwise it was just me and a half-dozen of the regulars (and me the only female!). The private party cleared out and it was just us. I sang solo twice (NOT Dream a Little Dream--I'm branching out) and we stayed late into the evening, after the pianist's departure drinking wine, talking about the Olympics and generally chatting and laughing.  It's so nice getting to know everyone better--we usually don't have time to talk because the pianist never takes a break (which is a good thing, but conversation is difficult when you're busy singing!).

So. Getting back to normal: not a bad thing. But I think I'm going to miss Snowmageddon as much as I miss those magic summers at camp in the mountains of West Virginia and those wonder-filled first days discovering college life, freedom and new friends in the foothills of the Berkshires. 

So as much as I "don't wanna" go back to work, I know I must. And I do love my job, so it's not bad at all.

Comments

[welshcyclist]

I enjoy your style of writing, keep it coming.

[Dottie]

After 10 days of fun, I certainly wouldn't want to go back to work. Sounds like a good time to move on, though. Piano bars and bikes don't sound so bad :)