2 ON MY KNEES - RESCUED BY KINDNESS

Minus 33°C, to say it was cold would be an understatement. Snow was plied high on the sidewalks and navigating through was a beast! The trip to work was tedious and required mammoth patience. I was exhausted by the time I reached into work. The commute was comprised of delays after delays including a subway shutdown. I caught the bus at 8am. I reached to work at 10:30 am. My start time is 10 am, all my efforts to arrive on time by leaving home extra early was a complete and utter failure. Going home felt like it would be be easier. As the second part of the journey was fairly smooth. I was wrong. It was a nightmare.

I left the office at 5:30 pm and caught the first bus to the subway station. The 8 minute ride took 35 minutes. The train ride was pretty uneventful and I thought 'yes! its smooth sailing from here.' I pulled out my phone and pulled up my book "The plant Paradox" by Steven R. Gundry and continued reading. There were a few minor delays due to train traffic in the tunnels no biggie. It was in the short block walk to my house that spelt disaster.

I exited the bus on my final ride to my home. I crossed the street and to my dismay there was even more snow plied high on the sidewalk. I checked the street to see if I could take a chance and walk there but unfortunately cars were speeding by at break neck speed. I took a deep breath and forged on stepping in others foot prints until I ran out of prints. I step forward and fell to my knees the snow was so high. Each time I attempted to get up I fell back down because the snow was so high I had nothing to anchor me to push myself up. I was getting frustrated. I could not give up because lying in the snow was not an option. Like a toddler with ass in the air I attempted to rise up with the inevitable result. I thought what I must look like to passerbys. Finally a good Samaritan took pity on me. She stopped in her SUV and shouted out the window, "are you okay!"

On the sidewalk feeling like ten kinds of fool I shouted back, "I don't think so, I can't seem to get up!". I started laughing just then because I remembered all those bad jokes about falling down and not being able to get up. My rescuer shouted, "hold on am coming.!" She relieved me of my bag so I could better assist myself after a few more attempts I finally managed with as little grace as possible to heave myself out of the snow. I was cover in the stuff and laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation. I looked at the rest of the sidewalk full with snow apprehensively. My rescuer asked, how far are you going?" I looked at her as I answered, "right there but I don't think I will chance going through that mess again." I looked to the streets clear of snow but my rescuer said, "get in I'll take you over. Grateful I got in with many thank you on my lips while shaking my head and laughing at myself. Then I looked at my rescuer and said, "this gives new meaning to I've fallen and I can't get up." We laughed. She said smiling, "at least you can laugh at the situation." I looked at her a big smile on my face and said, "what else is there to do? Then I asked her her name (Rachel) and introduced myself and thanked her again for the assist.

I stood in front my home and knocked. My daughter opened the door took one look at me coverd from head to toe in snow and exclaimed, "what happened to you?" I explained and we laughed then she told me that earlier she had to help 3 elderly people who had fallen navigating that that same snow plied sidewalk.

*Sigh, I wish the city would consider pedestrians when clearing snow from the streets and not pour it all unto the sidewalk.

Thanks Rachel!

4 COLD SUNSET -13°C WITH -21° WIND CHILL

I braved the cold for an opportunity to enjoy the sunset. Woo mercy the wind had bite! Enjoy.

2 SHE SHAMED HIM

'It is impolite to stare, stop staring, don't stare.' I repeated scoldingly to myself as I tried feverantly not to stare.

I walked to the bus stop and stopped in surprise shock as I tried not to stare at a gentleman wearing the most dilapidated winter jacket I have ever seen. I couldn't comprehend the thought process behind the man's choice. Then I scolded myself for judging because the reality is I don't know his story. My eyes kept straying to the jacket. It was ripped everyhere. I though perhaps he's transient or perhaps suffering from mental health issues however those thoughts were quickly dismissed when I over heard bits of his conversation with another man.

'Stop staring, stop staring I scolded myself.' 

In order to not be rude I walked out of the bus shelter then unobtrusively took a picture of the jacket to share with my eldest daughter who's always dogging me about wearing my old jacket. 

The bus arrived and we all boarded. At the next stop a woman I always say hi to came on. We said morning to each other and sat opposite each other. She looked to her right and spotted the man with the ripped up jack and waved him over in a familiar hello. He greeted her and she stared in shock at his jacket as he sat next to her. Then she said, "why you wearing that nasty tear up jacket?" He said something to her which I didn't heat but she responded with, "yeah but still you shouldn't be walking the road with a jacket looking like that!" He immediately put both his hands over the jacket pockets to hide it's defacing. I gave a shock laugh at her bold statement to him. She gave me this incredulous look that said, "can you he came outside with that jacket on?" The man kept his hands over the jacket inshame the whole ride.

At the subway my casual hello friend said to me. " I can't believe he would wear that ripped up jacket saying he was going to do dirty work and that justified him walking the street looking like that."

8 LEFT IN WONDERMENT

Some conversation leaves you in wonderment. 

On the train I overheard the tail end of a conversation that left me saying what and quickly moving along because I just didn't want to hear anymore. 

"I have a twin sister. She is a girl. She is the same age as me."

Huh? What? What? What? I questioned incredulously. That just don't make no damn sense!

6 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper

I look at life as glass half full. I navigate through the trials and triumphs with this philosophy. I make every effort to learn from my mistakes and the observations life manifests. Every so often though you see some things, learn some things, experience some things that shakes your equilibrium. It is exactly in those times when your spirit is tested that it is most apparent to hold firm and reaffirm prayer. To cleave tight to faith, to get over, to get around, to get through, to stay triumphant.  

"No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD."--Isaiah 54-17