I just wanna be warm

Friday mornings are sacred for me at the moment. I have three and a half hours to myself--something I haven't had regularly in five years. I have been using some of my Friday morning time to go for a walk, and I've been walking three or four times a week, a practice I'd like to crank up to a daily thing when the weather warms up. I would go this morning, but I am tired of being cold, tired of putting on layers. I want to stay inside, clean my kitchen, get ready to have friends over this evening, and be warm. It is cold and gray outside, but I want to remember that this won't last forever. Maybe a walk outside would be just the thing I need... Yesterday I walked through the Dyck Arboretum of the Plains, enjoyed the frosty weather and felt gratitude for the little dog footprints along the trail and all the benches along the way that are dedicated to the memory of people living and dead, many of whom I have (had) the privilege of knowing personally. I am so thankful for the Dycks, who had the vision to create this place; for Julie Irish Torseth, who directs the Arboretum, for Brad Guhr and others who work there to make it such a wonderful place.