needless to say, i'm pumped
i love winter; it's probably my second-favorite season after fall, although it can be hard to choose between it and summer at times (spring comes in a distant fourth). i can't wait until the ice is thick enough to go skating in deering park, until there's enough snow to go sledding out on the eastern prom or snowshoeing over local trails. i'm looking forward to breaking out my gaiters, my wool sweaters, my extra-thick socks, my down vest, and all the other winter-related gear and clothing. i'm unusually warm-blooded, so generally speaking the colder it is, the more comfortable i am. fortunately my roommate is of a fairly similar persuasion, which is why the house is usually kept at a balmy 55 degrees (well, we're also both quite frugal, which is probably the main reason why we keep it that cool. but that aside, we both can deal quite well with a cooler than normal habitat). why turn up the heat when you can drink some hot chocolate, put on a sweatshirt and some wool socks, and save a bundle of money in the process?
yesterday while out on one of my routes, i saw a sight that brought back a flood of memories: a guy with a UPS uniform, riding a bike with a trailer being towed behind it, delivering packages.
ah yes, those were the days! that was me, a mere two years ago. i remember some days where it was cool and crisp and the roads were clear and dry, and it felt like the greatest job in the world...
and then, there were the other days
like the day when it snowed so much that it covered the roads with over a foot of powder, which made biking nearly impossible
or the day when i tried to stop on a patch of ice... i ended up dumping the bike, and the trailer i was pulling, filled with heavy packages, ran me over. how humiliating
then there was the time when it was freezing rain, and i was so cold and miserable by the end of the day that people were genuinely shocked by my appearance when i showed up at the door:
(i had forgotten my hat that day, so i ended up looking like some sort of abominable iceman by the end of the day)
i've had some pretty hard-core jobs in my working career, but that has to rank near the top. and yet, i wouldn't have traded the experience for anything. i ended up doing well enough with my deliveries that they eventually offered me a permanent part-time job, which was a real blessing since i had zero job prospects at the time. plus, now i have a trump card in my pocket... anytime someone starts talking about how hard their job is, or how miserable the working conditions, i know i can cut in and say "yeah, well i used to deliver packages for UPS... by bicycle... in maine... in the winter!" and be relatively sure to end the bellyaching
i've noticed a transformation in my attitude regarding not having a car over the past few months. at first, i was still hoping it would work out to find some motorized transportation, so the times when i had to walk were overshadowed by a sort of wistful hoping that this was just a transitory phase. then i noticed that, after a couple of months, i genuinely began to enjoy walking, or on rare occasions taking the bus; they had gone from being "second-rate" modes of transportation to being my preferred options
sure, there are still times when it's a drag not to have a car: when the waves are breaking and i don't have any way to get my board down to the beach; when it's cold and rainy outside and i need to go somewhere; when i forget about a meeting at church until the last second, and have to humbly ask for a ride in order to make it there on time; or, those moments when i cross the overpass over the interstate, and see the multitude of cars passing beneath my feet, and start dreaming of hitting the road, taking the wheel and driving as far as the road will take me...
but fortunately, those moments are becoming increasingly rare. there's been a subtle shift from resignation, to contentment, to joy. i love keeping my eyes out for loose change on the sidewalks, saying hi to the people i meet on the streets, and enjoying that feeling of utter independence that comes from relying solely on your own two feet (or, on occasion, public transportation) to take me where i need to go. i love being active enough that i don't have to be too careful about what or how much i eat (i estimated that i probably walk on average 50+ miles a week, between work and running errands and other assorted journeys). i actually had to figure out how to get some more fat into my diet recently, with the temperature dropping and my metabolism rising by a corresponding measure; thankfully, day-old tony's donuts are both inexpensive and up to the task of providing some extra-delicious calories
winter in maine... you just gotta love it
