Saturday, January 5, 2008

Day 3: No snow


This may be obvious, since I live in Georgia- but I am thankful for this temperate climate. Mainly no snow. Having lived in the Chicago area for close to thirty years- and having had navigated the wintry months of ice and snow laden streets, sub zero temperatures and countless hours of scraping ice and snow off of windshields and ruining shoes and clothing with the salty snowy mixture. I am happy to not have that part of winter.

Don't get me wrong. Snow is fine- in a picturesque postcard kind of way. For the scenic nostalgic ideal Christmas with snow softly and slowly falling from the sky, and draping the land in a pure white blanket. It is beautiful. It's just that I don't want to live in a city that is covered with it for several months out of the year. When it turns that grayish black from having been mixed with mud and salt from cars pushing through it. When it has to be plowed into huge mounds that block a drivers view into the street. When it becomes a ice rut in which you have to put your car in or else be stuck- cold and alone. Been there - done that for three decades.

Now that my eldest is driving- I am also thankful that he doesn't have to learn in the treacherous icy environment that I learned in. Not that I'm saying at all that he is a bad driver (I owe him a dollar anytime I even elude to that fact that he is one- it nicks at his armour of self confidence)- he is not a bad driver at all- just an inexperienced one.

Getting around our smallish city in Georgia with the residential and highway traffic is enough for him right now. Being somewhat a control freak that I am- it gets me nervous enough Sean driving on our dry streets. I would have to be medicated to have him learn to drive on slushy icy snow covered Chicago streets. UGH. I can't even think about it without my heart pounding out of my chest and my stomach knotting up. Shoot- did I just focus on not having a negative for my daily gratitude- like I said may not be the true intent of this journey? I'm so new at all of this- maybe I can let this slide.

Therefore- to sum up day number three. I am grateful for living in the Southeast with its warmer temperatures and safer road conditions for my teenage son to learn to drive.

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