So, That Was a Mistake

Mom & I were going to do an errand. And the store is less than a mile away, so I happily said, "I'll walk!"

Walking was part of my daily life in Anonos, and I got used to it. And liked it. Most of the time.

I stepped out the front door, and the cold took my breath away.

Literally, I could not catch my breath.

When it finally returned, the first inhale froze all of my nose hairs.

Four steps from the door, I knew I had made a mistake in choosing to walk.

But I am no quitter.

So I continued.

My face stung.
My legs were numb.
My fingers were freezing.
The sidewalks were icy.

I picked my way down the sidewalks until they weren't even plowed any more.

My options were:
Walk through snowdrifts three feet deep
or
Walk in the road.

And suddenly, there was Mom in the car.

I climbed in.

And I cried.

Because it was like a physical reminder of the emotional stuff raging in my head and heart right now.

Everything.
Is.
Different.

Two weeks ago I was living in a place that is thirteen inches from the sun.

Where sweat was a part of daily life.

And sunburns.

And sitting in front of fans, longing for the cold of winter in New England.

And this arctic blast is just another reminder that I'm not the same person I was before Costa Rica.

Including my thinned out blood.

(Disclaimer... when I got home, I found out it is -15... and that didn't include the windchill. I don't care who you are, or where you're from. That's cold.)