It's finally a cold weather day. I've been waiting for these kinds of days, sifting through the
boredom and
tedium of gray bland hours.
Today it was cold all day, not just in the morning. The chill hung around and hurried people down streets and smacked you as you went around the corner of buildings. Cold enough to see your breath even in the afternoon.
The cold wakes me up, in the larger sense. It reassures me and makes me feel more alive. It's a weird thing, I know. But I have always liked that feeling-that sense of exposure that cold air makes on me. The way it burns my face and chills my feet. Some people say it numbs you, but I think that's backwards. Heat and humidity numb you-slow you down and creates inertia. The cold speeds you, heightens your awareness of where you are and all things around you. The air is so thin you can taste it. All smells within miles become vivid and every whisp of steam and smoke race across your horizon. Life is sharper, fuller.
Maybe seeing my chilled carbon dioxide is visible proof I am living and not dreaming. All I know is it feels better than another damp rainy afternoon. Breathe deep-exhale, see it, taste it.