January's End

Here I am again, wondering what to write, since I haven't taken a picture of one thing I want to write about and I haven't finished reading Melody Green's book. Almost, but not quite. January drags me down for years. I wrote in my journal in high school or nursing school about the silver month. Ice, white, silver, cold and depressing.
It seems this January, we have had a lot of sunshine. We notice the sun not setting till 5:30 and now, even a little later. The late afternoon sun golden through the window, coloring the horizon pink behind the black, stark trees. The sun truly makes me delighted.
I can't believe this is the last week of January. I don't sense time dragging any more. Is there too much to do or is it true, time goes faster when one is older? Why is perception different as you age? More time to remember and more times that are the same in some subtle way?
I think of when I was young. The long weekend days if we stayed home. Reading in my room all afternoon. Eating pizza from Matsko's, or hot dogs roasted over our fireplace, while we watched all the great Saturday night TV shows. Sundays comprised of church, Sunday dinner, football and old movies when we didn't visit relatives. Couldn't shop on Sundays, except for Thrift Drug at the Eastwood Mall.
As I got into junior high, spending more time with friends on the weekends. We couldn't drive. Sometimes parents took us to Sharon or Hickory (as Hermitage was called then). We could walk around the mall, but that wasn't too encouraged. Mostly remained with parents during these years.
We did like to call Y-103, the new local rock FM station. We talked to the DJ, while a long song was on. Oh, we were so cool.
My senior year, I rediscovered the joy of winter outings. Sledding or inner-tubing on the Oakview School hill, that isn't there any more. We howled down that hill in the frozen night under the clear black sky. I pulled my sled over on the bright winter days after school as my exercise. I had a Jean Claude ski jacket, red, white and blue, with the only snow pants my mother could find- white with red candy stripes. Who cared? I was usually the only one there on school days. I loved the quiet of the snow muffled atmosphere and the sun bright and distant.
I also discovered cross country skiing then. I really fell in love with that sport. I never ventured down a mountain. That is a bit scary. I could imagine winter camping, although, I never did that. But the idea enthralled me, as the boyfriend who awakened my love for winter then, returned to Florida. I thought we would do that when we were older.
That relationship did not stand the test of time. I wondered though, years later, I found out from his nephew, he never married. Afraid of commitment? I know the distance then, as well as the cost of long distance telephone calls put a real damper on affairs.
I often think how different many of those fleeting romances may have ended up with cell phones and Face book. I never know and I'm glad I'm with the man who stood the test of distance and married me.