My commute

As commutes go, mine is not too terrible. Those of you who know me well, know I'm being annoyingly sarcastic because I work about 2 1/2 minutes from my house. To those of you who have a real drive to work in the morning, try to refrain from throwing something at my head the next time you see me. Your restraint, as always, is greatly appreciated. Even though my drive is ridiculously short, the universe always manages to show me a potpourri of humanity's hairy under belly. This morning was no exception.

It's raw this morning. The wind is cold and blowing at a brisk pace and the rain is driving. Even a fat girl like me who is new to the chilly sensation, found herself failing to breathe between the front door and car. "cold cold cold cold cold.........DAMN!!!...cold cold cold cold." OK....I'm in the car now and take a moment to revel in my temporary shelter from the elements. I'm pulling out of my neighborhood and see a man on his back deck......poised against the driving wind and rain, hoodie tied tight around his chin and..........wait for it........smoking a cigarette. Yeah.....that's right....smoking a cigarette. How he kept it lit or even remotely dry defies explanation.

I found myself laughing at him not out of a sense of superiority, but a sense of empathy. That was me. I smoked for way more years than I am ready to confess to. As addictions go, mine was fairly mild. I gave it up a few years ago without having to bury my pack in the back yard to be freakin' dug up if I really needed a smoke, or having to plaster myself in nicotine patches. I never chewed nicotine gum. (Ive always felt gum chewing is a filthy habit.) I certainly spent my share of time suffering from exposure while puffing away on a cigarette. The only down side to quitting was that I gained 5 or 10 or 80 pounds. I've had to satisfy myself that it's better to be on a goddamned diet and healthy, than it is to be thinner and wheeling an oxygen tank around. Now theres a sexy look for you.

I stop at Sheetz for a coffee. Theres my girl Linda working her magic with the coffee pots. 100% arabica, special dark roast, breakfast blend, decaf of all kinds, Linda keeps those pots in motion in and among all of us blue collar types and veterinary surgical assistants staggering in half asleep. She pauses a moment to chat with me and tells me that she really has nothing to say but just needs to take a momentary breather from her duties. I laugh. Linda always makes me laugh. I tell her how amazing I think she is. She tells me that she has discovered the secret to happiness on the job......"walk fast and look worried" she says. I almost fall over laughing because shes right!!!....that is the answer!!!.......and I'm not ashamed to say it works!!!!

I pull in to work and it looks like a little country cottage in the early morning glow. I left the house 7 minutes ago and managed to have 2 really satisfying laughs. Our busy little veterinary clinic will soon be awash in animals in varying degrees of need. I'll get several kisses and cuddles from our furry patients and if all goes well, won't be in the path of explosive diarrhea today. We save that particular bit of fun for Dr Brooke. We love you Dr Brooke.