SNOW TIME

Reflections from Christmas Eve, 2010.

I don't know about you, but I love to walk in the snow - so long as there's no ice under it, so long as I'm bundled up nice and warm, and so long as I don't have to look presentable at the end of my walk.

It's been snowing in St. Louis all day. All day! That seldom happens here. It began sometime before I arose this morning. By the time I had to drive to a meeting at 9 AM, there was about 3 inches on my car. By now, 12 hours later, there is twice that outside and more on the way. It's not windy, not particularly cold, and I'm tempted to put on my boots, hook up Lizzie's leash, and hit the street, but....

I can't walk out in this stuff because my sweet husband is home and he pretty much forbids it. Now, he's not one to forbid me much. Good Luck with that. Forbidding me is almost a guarantee of what psychologists now call Oppositional Defiant behavior. In this case, I do respect him enough to not want him to worry about me.

So, despite the dizzying Christmas rush at the mall, I met a friend there and we walked. She really needed a walk as her work week has been Hellish. I just needed to get my derriere in gear. There are quite a few malls in the St. Louis area. Kathy G. mentioned one that is no longer a true retail mall (Crestwood Court formerly Crestwood Mall). Most store fronts have been given over to theater companies, art studios, and, lucky for me, the dance studio (Studio 41) where I dance. The other mall where there are seldom enough shoppers to be daunting is the upscale Plaza Frontenac. This mall has the added bonus of underground, heated parking AND wooden floors.

You might ask why I don't walk at Plaza Frontenac more often. It's location is not perfect for my friends and it's small enough to become totally boring by the time we've walked the first half hour. Feels like I imagine that hamster in a cage on that Ferris Wheel type thing. I hate hamsters and those Ferris Wheel things look really boring to me. Plus, the window shopping is limited to designer garments, expensive jewelry, and other posh home furnishings and accessories. Not my style.

But, walking at the mall beats not walking at all. Steph and I walked and talked for an hour. We both finished the walk in a better state mentally than we began it - as is usually the case. Take care of yourself and find a safe place to walk. It's an investment in yourself - and YOU'RE WORTH IT !



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