Polar Vortex and Cerebral Cortex

I have been spoiled this winter.

Average January temperatures in my neck of the woods hover been -22 and -35 Celsius, however, this year has been different. For nearly the last month we have been sitting around -5 consistently which has allowed me many opportunities to go skating. I busted out my rusty figure skates, got them sharpened, and have been skating nearly every day.

I am fortunate enough to live across the street from an outdoor rink that rarely gets used by anyone. During the day some homeschooled kids use it for their recess and at night time I have it all to myself. The solitude and silence is much-needed at times and every once in a while, usually out of nowhere, I have a moment of sudden realization where everything just seems perfect. Nothing spectacular ever seems to happen at the rink besides me ungracefully bruising my knees but sometimes the simple things in life remind you of just how magical everything can be. It's never the fancy evenings out, the new restaurants, the tasty cocktails you drink during a night out with your friends or the howls and cheers you hear at the bowling alley when someone gets a strike. It's the things as mundane as walking down to the river and laying on the ice, listening to the birds chirp and the wind rustle the last few crispy leaves that cling to the twigs. Or evenings where all I'm doing is listening to Swan Lake while lacing up my worn out figure skates that could probably use replacing.

Whenever life wears me down and I need a slap from the hand of reality, I head to the rink, skate it out, and look up at the constellations to catch my breath.