Sunday, February 16, 2014

batten down the hatches

I flicked on the TV this morning as a way to jump start my morning self.
Olympics, click, olympics, click, click.....

Somewhere far away people are leaping off snowy mountains and plunging down icy slides headfirst.
While they pause to catch their breath, I brandish the remote control.
I click past a chef recklessly dicing and slicing and a yogurt craving woman belly dancing in her kitchen.
Then back to ice-dancing.
And curling.
And then a ski race where only the Swedish skier could still command his body and have it follow orders. The others were all awash in lactic acid.
The finish line was a cheer and cry sort of moment as it always is. The Swede crossed the line, head up, eyes afire. He sprang nimbly out of his skis and jumped into the arms of his leaping, hopping, shouting friends. A gold medal! Hooray!
Right behind him, silver and bronze flashed over the finish line too, but they each dropped like a rock. No leaping or springing for them. The way their legs gave out told the story. They had clearly been hanging on for that very moment.Such courage.
And then just as I was blinking and breathing shallowly, a commercial break.
It seemed like the perfect moment to check out the weather network and I was just in time to glimpse a Meteorological Alert posted in orange and black.
You couldn't miss it except that I did.
I think it warned of wind and rain.
Looking out the window now, it seems so unlikely. The sky is high and blue. The clouds are great creamy puffs.
But the branches of the trees look restless.
And, the horizon is somber.
They both know something.
They aren't fooled by appearances.
Batten down the hatches.

1 comment:

  1. I've just enjoyed reading bits of your blog, and I'm coming back to read some more. Love the way you write and the variety. Thank you.

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