I have been biking to work for most of the past week. That sounds fairly ordinary, except for the fact that it was -11 this morning, and was -15 the day before. This means that I have to wear a scarf to cover most of my face, and put in contacts because the glasses fog up, then frost over, which means when you're going 30 down the side of a bluff, you're screwed when you reach the next intersection. Also, I have to wear double everything. There's truth in layers, brother. Buckskin choppers are a must. But even then, I notice that I haven't brought up my core temperature enough in the morning to combat the wind chills that reached -31 today.
But there is something else that happens when it's really cold out. Nobody's around. I usually find myself concentrating on staying warm or thinking about the freelance jobs I have to finish. But as I cussed out a morning commuter in their Ford Explorer for impeding my progress, I looked up and saw the waning moon over St. Paul as morning grew near. That's when I made a new rule: Enjoy it.
Rarely do people live in or near such beautiful surroundings. I am 12 minutes from work by bicycle, and I can use that time to look around at the abandoned landscape and appreciate my environment for the magic it has from time to time. Most people get into their cars and insulate themselves from the world. Some listen to bad classic rock, contemporary schlock, or angry right-wing fundamentalists, and their soul plunges further into the netherworld. They never hear the sound of bicycle tires on pavement, the call of the lonely crow, or the songs of the 8-year old walking to school. They never spot the homeless campsites near the abandoned lumber depot, replete with bench seats from a Delta 88, or encounter one sleeping under the stairs of your favorite parking garage. They don't notice the tugs pulling the last grain barge off the upper Mississippi before winter takes hold of the great river.
To tell you the truth, for the most part, I don't notice either. I'm too busy trying to figure out the missing piece of my portfolio that will get me hired by a high-end design house, or how I could have given a stronger answer during my interview that would have swayed their decision. Fuck that. I'm going to notice the moment.
