Oh, the Weather Outside is Frightful

Well, it is cold and windy, which to me is frightful. I have never, in my 20 years living in the North, become acclimated to the cold. I like it when a room is 78 degrees, I just can’t afford to heat my house like that. At work, I sit near the door, which means no matter what the thermostat is set at, when the door opens the cold invades. Today is a perfect example. The clouds blotted out the sun and people kept opening the door, so here I sit, crouched like Bob Cratchett, trying to get warm and concocting ever more elaborate schemes to do so.

I have decided I’m hiding a stash of hot chocolate somewhere in this office and partaking often this winter. That is quite achievable. It is when my fancy takes flight that I get into trouble. Because that is when I think about going to Hawaii, which leads me to thinking of traveling the world. It doesn’t help that my computer wallpaper is a lovely photograph of the Thames and the Houses of Parliament at Christmas. All these dream castles come crashing down when my Outlook inbox pings to let me know there is a new email. It reminds me that I have a job, that I have to work to pay things like rent and my soon-to-be-exorbitant heating bill. This intrusion of reality, once dealt with, tends to make my flights of fancy more grandiose. Confession: I have long harbored the wish that I had some secret trust fund, of which I am unaware, and which will be made known to me any day now. Preferably sooner than later. This large, undecided upon amount of money would enable me to throw off the chains of employment, travel the world with my friends and family in tow, treat my parents to all the things they refuse to do for themselves, and help my brother finish school. I could chase my own dreams and help my loved ones fulfill theirs.

Oh, there is that ping again. Just as I was getting to the good stuff.