Pre-emptive Strike

I left work a little bit early yesterday when the sleet started. Yesterday's frozen precip froze into solid ice sheets overnight, so it looked like yet another boring day at home today. I did have two technical reports to work on, but then I had them a month ago when I got trapped home for three days.

So, in 20 degrees and some wind, I slipped my reports into a backpack, dressed in boots and down, and hiked down my hill to my favorite coffee shop (with binoculars, I could see cars at the coffee shop, so it was open). It was a nice adventure, even though it was only a couple of miles. I walked on crunchy frozen grass and slipped a couple of times at driveways. At the coffee shop I sat by a window, had breakfast AND lunch while working on the reports, and even took a picture of the house.

It felt good to have fought my anxieties with this preemptive strike. It was exhilarating... no feelings of being trapped today.

I was thinking of walking to the gym afterwards but reduced the risk and just went home instead. It was another couple of miles and maybe a 400' climb to get back. Tomorrow morning's early spin class will come soon enough, and things have dried out enough by tonight to drive, even though temps will be in the teens. Besides, I hiked 5 hours on Sunday, lifted Monday and yesterday, and did abs and step classes on Tuesday.

Being proactive and preemptive is the solution for the heebie-jeebies, whether trapped at home or trapped in a relationship, and makes for good mental health.

- © 2011 by Willy

P.S., I'm confused. I thought I lived in the south, so what's with this continuing snow and ice?