Today was a Snow Day (yes, it is capitalized) and I don't have much to show for it. Which is exactly what I wanted. And needed. It's nice when "want" and "need" intersect.
So, I spent much of the day--well, actually, all of it--braless and wandering. Wandering from room to room, food to drink, sidewalk to neighbor's home, crossword to book.
Yes, my shelves remain undusted. But I did catch up with some friends, finish up a puzzle, warm up the dog's frozen paws, and even clear up the driveway--my nod to all those folks who insist that I simply must do something practical. Plus, I feel really good after I shovel.
Lately, I've been thinking about the word "should" and what a surprisingly sharp and ugly word it is. "Should" loves to bury its gnarled roots deep in public spaces, places where others are calling the shots and taking names. It has, I suspect, caused more broken marriages, more heartache, more self doubt than any other word in our vocabulary. "Should" is like a 13-year-old American girl, utterly unable to ignore the inane hum of group think.
Without the background drone of "should," I'd like to think that PACs would crumble, mean girls would stumble, and more people would more easily recognize the mumbo jumbo that makes up so much of hate radio and radicalized religions.
Sure, maybe I should have done something more with this blustery, free day. But I choose to turn a blind eye--and a deaf ear--to that ugly, judgmental, finger-wagging word and live my life in a different rhythm, drawing from a different vocabulary. And, frankly, it feels pretty darned good.
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