337. Winter Storms

I’m weird in the fact that whenever I see people doing something, I like to do the opposite. I’m a bit of a contrarian in that regard. Today I decided to walk home from work. It’s not a short walk. If the Walker Art Center wasn’t under construction, it would take me an hour. The rerouting adds about an extra fifteen minutes. I usually like to walk home during the summer. We get out early and the walk home saves me from doing some sort of workout when I get home. Due to the incoming snow, I decided to walk home today. We got out at 3:30, an hour earlier than normal. My hatred of waiting for the bus far outweighed any discomfort I feel when walking home in the snow.

That’s the thing about winter. For anything above 0, it’s really a matter of dressing properly. If you’re properly dressed and not spending an inordinate amount of time outside, it’s OK. (I mean anything in double-digit negatives is kind of ridiculous.) The walk home wasn’t unbearable. The snow and peace was kind of nice. There aren’t too many times in life where you get to hear absolute silence, so this was a nice addition to the walk. I rewarded myself with a hot toddy when I got home.

The walk home reminded me of a winter storm in Boston in 2013. A friend of mine was having trouble parking her car in the streets of Boston due to a variety of parking restrictions. She asked if she could park her car at the driveway of where I was renting. I told her that it was OK. It took her about two hours to drive a couple miles because the roads were so bad. She got there safe. I offered her to stay at the place, but she wanted to go visit some of our friends in Coolidge Corner. We decided to walk there. I was skeptical at first, but it turned out to be one of my favorite Boston memories. It was a true Nor’easter. Winds were over 50 miles per hour and we got over a foot of snow. And we made it to Coolidge corner, about a two mile walk, safely. It was funny because I made the walk back the next morning. Seeing a snowfall on a major city in the next morning is really fascinating. It was the most snow I had seen in awhile.

It’s good to just get out when everyone wants to stay in. Again, I think it is all about being prepared for what the elements can throw at you. I’m so glad I walked home today because I’m guess I’ll be stuck inside for the next 48 hours or so. Winter isn’t so bad if you’re prepared for it. Sometimes you just got to seize the opportunities you have, even if it’s friggin cold out.

But I think I’m just going to stay inside for the rest of the evening. I got my physical activity in for the day.