Inconvenienced

Last week, the South where I live, descended into a hell of snow and ice. We were stranded, stuck, held captive in our home for the better part of 4 days. I hate winter, hate snow (except for when I go to it and leave it behind) and definitely hate ice storms.

Sunday night into Monday we had about 5 inches of snow. Monday it started freezing rain/sleet - there is supposedly a difference but I don't know what it is and, I guess I don't really care. The snow and then the ice and the fact that the City of Atlanta and most of the surrounding burbs have about 25 snowplows/sanders. Can you believe that? In fact, I heard that the City of Atlanta has only 12 snowplows. I'm generously adding 13 because I believe that between the counties of Cobb, Forsyth, Gwinnett there may have actually been 13 extra snowplows.

But let me put this in perspective…we had food, we had heat, internet access, and no one was injured in the melee of trying to drive in the South in ice and snow. So why am I all whiny? We didn't have mail, no daily papers, and we couldn't really get in our car and go anywhere. But, can I tell you, in all honesty, I was miserable. I couldn't go to the pool, yoga was cancelled, pilates was cancelled.

But all my whininess and frustration made me think about my whininess and frustration. And other people. People live in war zones for years with absolutely freaking nothing - happy for an occasional meal, to be able to go outside without having bullets fired around them. Happy to be able to get clean water. The women we work with in Bogota are forced to give up absolutely everything they have, lose family members and have to flee to a place they don't know with kids in tow, no money, no jobs, no home…And I've got the guts to be whiny and inconvenienced. What an absolutely crazy, ridiculous, self absorbed way of thinking.

When I put my own little piece of the world into perspective by keeping the broader world, the impoverished, the sick, and those who really are inconvenienced in my thoughts, it keeps me and my whacked out little mind in line! I realize how incredibly lucky I am, every day!

As we continue in to the New Year of 2011, I renew my commitment to remember that I am so lucky - through some dumb luck and some hard work - to be where I am doing what I am doing. I renew my commitment to tackle the issues of poverty and the need to address women's issues with grace, strength, creativity and the determination to make a difference.

Georgia Winter

Snow day #3! We have been locked in by snow and ice for the last two days! Started snowing on Sunday night and we got about6 inches of snow - beautiful snow. But then Monday after the snow it started sleeting - frozen rain and sleet. That's where things got complicated.

Virtually everything has been shut down…no newspapers, no mail, no UPS, no FedEx. No people going to work. No school. Universities closed, local schools closed. Government offices have been shut down for two days. The new governor even had to delay his inauguration! In the south, how to deal with things like snow and ice, even though they only happen once in a while, is a completely foreign notion! We have not had a salt or sand truck in front of our neighborhood for three days. I have this stuff called "ice melt" in my garage - we used it once to melt some ice on our driveway, it ate the driveway. I'm almost thinking that I could put that stuff on the hill and make things much, much better. But, if it eats the road, I'm probably going to be in trouble.

Andy had a friend in from Minneapolis - he was with us until Sunday night then went back to his aunt and uncle's home. He got stuck there. Absolutely nothing to do. I feel bad for him - at least he could have gotten stuck here with us where there were other folks his age to do things. Another friend of Andy's is still in high school and he has been with us since Sunday. I finally got them out yesterday - admittedly they even had cabin fever - and sent them on a walk - up to Publix - closed, over to Kroger, WalMart and then to the gas station for soft drinks for me! I needed, desperately, a diet coke. Apparently there are scarce resources all over the city. People say they are running out of food - I doubt that - if they are like us at all they just don't want to eat what's in their fridge! We've done very well with food and stuff.

Tim was supposed to travel yesterday - haha. Our neighborhood is in a relatively hilly area. We have a huge hill in our neighborhood that also runs in front of us that has been an icy mess. Yesterday before Tim decided to postpone his travel, we walked to the main corner, turned right and walked a little up the hill…the roads were still icy but cars were out and trying to get up the hill. For every five cars, only one made it! We laughed - people were getting impatient and trying to pass the cars that were stopped…Tim is going to try go leave today!

I miss my workouts - no yoga, no pilates, no pool. Yesterday I was a little cuckoo so I decided to shovel the driveway. We have a fairly long inclined drive and I worked for about 2 hours shoveling. I don't have a snow shovel so I had to use a straight edge garden shovel. It had a fairly short handle and the snow was heavy and sticking to the shovel so I couldn't just flip it out of the shovel. I had to pick up a shovel full of snow, walk to my little snow bank on the side of my driveway and bang it to get the snow off the shovel! I got through about 3/4 of the driveway and my back decided that I was finished. But, it was a nice little workout - and my back was nothing that some aleve couldn't take care of! Andy and his friend finished it for me. But, how nice to have a fairly clear, dry driveway. This morning I hallucinated that I saw the newspapers on my driveway (a little desperate) and I walked out - had to be a little cautious in places where we had a little dripping that refroze. Fortunately I didn't fall, unfortunately there were no newspapers.

It hasn't been all bad…we have had some neighborhood fun in the middle of being stuck. Some of the ladies got together for scrabble on Monday, then yesterday we got together (9 of us) to learn to play Canasta. Some of the hood ladies know how to play the game so they agreed to teach and coach the rest of us. It was an absolutely blast. Of course, there was wine and food involved. We started at 3. About 5 I got a message that the guys were going to an alternate location to play poker. I got home about 8, Tim didn't get home until almost 10! Lots of fun and what a great way to spend a locked in day. I sipped on a little raspberry infused vodka mixed with LaCroix pamplemousse sparkling water. Yummy! Needless to say, this outing created a Saturday evening event in the neighborhood. And, discussion about a monthly canasta group (can you say fun?!?) and a monthly dinner group. Love the canasta idea, not so sure I am thrilled with the monthly dinner group - I like to have parties but like to invite different people...

Tim is going to try to leave town today. I am going to try to venture out today - reformer pilates at noon, I hope! If I can get out of the hood. It will be interesting.

Plates and Classes

I have signed up for pilates classes for 5 days a week for the next six weeks. I take mat classes on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings - all at 8 a.m. Then I am scheduled to work out on the reformer two days a week - Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings…yes, I am going to try to do back to back workouts on Saturday mornings. I go to the most wonderful, wonderful studio - Pilates Tutor - www.pilatestutor.com. Amazing instructors, great classes - definitely check them out. I may be absolutely crazy but I figured it wouldn't/couldn't hurt. My thoughts are to really ramp up my workouts for six weeks to see how my body reacts. I think it will also change my mental perspective. None of that can be bad!

The key is to go to every class with the determination to work very hard and to make the most of my time - that may be challenging. Sometimes I think it's easy to sign up for things, then when you start to feel a little physically overwhelmed, participate at a minimum level. Or even begin to treat it as an obligation rather than an opportunity.

So on top of my swimming three days a week, yoga at least two to three days a week, I should see some physical and mental challenges!

I was able to enroll in a course at Kennesaw State. I am taking the Introduction to International Business. I practically had to beg to get into the class…seriously! The class wasn't full, I'm a summa cum laude graduate - shouldn't that give me some leverage!??? And, oh yeah, I'm taking Spanish II. Saturdays!

I'm looking forward to both the mental and physical challenges. Plus, being engaged with these activities will keep me home, hopefully keep me from great wanderlust…maybe.