I love the
Twin Cities. I really do. In fact, I get kind of defensive when I run into old
friends back in California and they ask me "Why?"
when I tell them I'm living in Minnesota
these days. But last night, I seriously was asking myself that very same
question.
The last few days have been a little too gloomy
for me. I want sunshine. But it's bearable this time of year because you
know things are about to change. And so when I left work last night, to a nice
little snowfall, I really didn't mind too much. The temperature wasn't too bad,
and most of the snow was melting when it hit the ground.
However,
by the time I got home, checked the mail, got the make-up off, and the
appropriate clothes on for walking the dog, things had changed dramatically. The
cold front Chris Shaffer was talking about all day had moved in. The
temperature had dropped dramatically, and the wind had seriously picked up.
Madelyn is a husky and doesn't mind it, but even she was squinting into
the gusts of icy cold when they hit us head-on. At one point she looked up at
me, looking as if she was wondering if I was okay. I'm thinking she
realizes that when she's cold, I've got to be freezing.
She
was right. My winter coat was doing the trick for my upper body, but my
exposed face was in pain. And though I had gloves on, I was losing all
feeling in my fingertips. I wanted us home as fast as
possible.
We were parked not far from where that
car smashed
into a building on Excelsior Blvd.
in Minneapolis.
I was checking it out from across the street when I heard a woman waiting for
the bus nearby yell "Look out, look out." Another car was
sliding down the road and heading right toward me. I ran to get out of the
way, but Madelyn was perplexed why I was moving so fast and wasn't coming with
me. I was dragging her by the leash and collar as fast as I could run on
the slippery sidewalk down a side street.
We barely managed
to get out of the way as the car slide right into the pole where we were
standing a few seconds before. The poor woman who hit the pole was so concerned
about us, she didn't seem to care she had smashed her car into the pole. I
asked if she wanted me to call someone, and she said she was just so afraid she
was going to hit Madelyn. As we watched car after car slide through the
intersection, she opted to just back out and deal with the damage to her
vehicle later and get herself out of harms way. Smart move. (The pole, by
the way, was just fine.)
I ran home and was so thankful to
be indoors and safe. I took my cold wet clothes off, bundled up and put some
fuzzy mittens on so my frozen fingers could thaw. It was at that moment I
thought "And why am I living here when most of my loved ones are probably
firing up the barbecues with the arrival of Daylight Saving
Time?
I'm not going to end my love affair with Minnesota and
the Twin Cities because of one bad night. I love the music, the theatre, the
Vikings, the Wild and the Twins. I love that I can see a rock concert in St. Paul and be home and
in bed by 11 p.m. I love how Minnesotans "embrace winter" with events
like the City of Lakes Loppet,
the Winter Carnival and the Pond Hockey Tournament. But these are the days that
test strength of a relationship. And when I got up this morning to go work out,
and heard my friends on the radio telling me it was still 2-below, I was ready
to call the whole thing off.
(I did call the work-out off
and opted for leisurely coffee and the paper in my warm
bed.)
I realize every relationship goes through it's highs
and lows. I'm just ready for some highs above zero.
