And it’s not even summer yet…

Since my office moved to within blocks of my house last November, I’ve walked to work most days… it’s amazing how you can live in a town your entire life and never really see it. I was fascinated by the displays in the storefront windows during the Christmas season… I was stunned to discover some stores that had been there for years, yet I had never actually seen before. All of a sudden, there they were. Front and center and inviting my patronage in the way only a small-town store can.

On days we had blizzards, I bundled up in my warm winter coat, hat and scarf covering everything but my eyes, gloved hands buried deep in my pockets, boots to mid-calf, and I walked the 5 minutes to my office. I trudged through the snow, laughing at the poor suckers struggling to drive down Main Street, let alone all the way to the city 20 minutes away. Once at my office, I’d close my door, turn on my space heater and the little lamp at my desk, and I’d sit in cozy silence, oblivious to the noise of the world and the weather and the chaos outside my walls.

Now that the snow has melted, the days are getting long, and warmth is once again emanating from the sun, you’d think my walks to work would be more pleasant. And in a way, yes, they are. It’s nice not to freeze my nose. It’s nice not to struggle against the wind, squinting to keep the snow out of my eyes… everything’s not all sunshine and roses, however. Well, actually, it is. And therein lies the problem.

Because now when I get to my office, I’m not escaping from the fury of winter… My office is no longer a haven from the frozen outside world… no longer a retreat… it’s now a cell. A place I’m required to be that evinces no enjoyment until 5 o’clock when I can once again emerge into that inviting world…

Sure, it could be worse. I sit here, both windows open, a nice breeze blowing through… I can see the sunshine and hear the outside world… the firemen and women are playing frisbee… soon the raised voices of kids will be heard as they get out of school, as eager to enjoy the weather as I am…

Yet, here, I feel nothing but trapped. The sunshine calls me. The frisbee players call me. The desire to be outside calls me. And the mountain of work awaiting me may as well be a pile of laundry, and my boss, the prison guard…

It’s going to be a long summer…