by Krymzen Hall

Created on: January 14, 2010   Last Updated: September 17, 2010

As I painstakingly shovel the snow from my driveway, I realize that aside from changing seasons, there are no tangible reminders of the passage of time.   Day turns to night, but do peopleactually realize what it means to be a day older?  We wake up, get lost in routine, and then go to sleep, never realizing we are far removed from the day before.  

But when falling leaves are replaced with falling snow, we understand it, because we’ve grown so accustomed to measuring the seasons with our activities; thus, measuring the distance from now to the moment we get what we are waiting for, whatever that is.  For some, it’s that moment when the weather breaks for spring, indicating that the family vacation is right around the corner.  For others, it’s that first freeze, reminding rich folks that Aspen awaits.

For me, winter helps me forget summer.  The cold, cloudy, dreary days help me push away from July, the month when the sun is hot and days are long-the month when I get the anniversary reaction to my husband’s infidelity.  The warmth triggers pain.  I've had five such reactions thus far.  That's why I moved to New York, miles away from the unforgiving Pheonix sun. 

The neighborhood bustles with shovels and smiles.   Marci Anderson and her husband make hot chocolate for everyone.  They always do things like that.  They’ve been married for fifteen years and are still going strong.  The Greene family is building a snowman in their front yard.  They do family activities all the time.  Mr. and Mrs. Rollins have taken to another neighbor's home because the family living in it is on vacation.  The Thompson household has just started a snowball fight escalating to everybody on the block.  My environment is the picture of pure happiness, harmony, and selfless acts.   I’m the only single woman around.  The rest of the adults are clearly in marital bliss.

Well, except for Lady Camilla, as we call her; older, frail, mean by anybody’s measurement.   A few months ago, she had an iron barrier installed around her yard, ensuring no children would walk on her precious grass.  She also has a “No Solicitors, Not Even Trick or Treaters” sign on her door. 

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