December 3, 2109

Gray and almost rainy in the desert today; a storm is coming in.  This is good.  The rest of the country shelters under drifts of heavy, burdensome, snow and slush and while Desert Rats grumble about the chill (65 degrees) and the lack of sun we really have it quite nice; exactly what we were all looking for when we made this final move to the arid Sonoran plain.  More rain is coming this week!  While we set our jaws to the prospect of more dreary days we also prime our visceral pumps with the thought of a possible second year in a row Superbloom!  It could happen!

But today, driving about on errands, I noticed a man walking down the street.  It was actually a bright-ish, hazy, 62 degrees. He had on long jeans, shoes, and socks (for those non-desert dwellers this alone is an unusual occurrence), a hooded, quilted, ski parka, earmuffs, and gloves.  

He is not alone.  On these rarely occurring “cool” weather days there are many, all locals, who sport this visually jarring attire.  I laugh to myself at their folly…until I realize I have the seat and steering wheel heaters on; I’m quite toasty, thank you.  But gloves?  Get serious.

Today I ran four miles at the gym.  After my Summer of Surgery and the resultant complications that literally left me footless for months, I am extremely thankful for the run….along with the walk, the stroll, the meander, and all of the other mobility-related activities I am now regaining.  As the poetess Joni Mitchell so aptly sung:

Don’t it always seem to go
That you don’t know what you’ve got
‘Till it’s gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot

There may be, in fact, way too many parking lots in this world but today, this one day, and the ones in the foreseeable future, I am truly thankful for the trails, and hikes, and runs, and walks that I can now begin to once again take at my own pace and leisure.

I am grateful for movement.