I had a very specific purpose for waking up that early, though. I would be going with my mom and grandma to the airport. I, however, would not be going any farther than that. Rather, they were heading to Florida for my aunt’s birthday. They were flying out of the Duluth airport, which is about a 25 minute drive from my house. My mom would drive there, and I would drive her car home.
When my alarm so kindly went off that morning, I rolled out of bed and grabbed socks and a sweatshirt. Now, don’t judge too much—I was already in sweatpants and would be heading back to bed once I got home. I didn’t find it necessary to change.
My mom had been up since 4 am, so she was all set to go. I pulled on my coat and boats, and we headed out the door. My grandma lives nearby, so we picked her up and hit the road.
That good old Minnesota weather decided it would get in our way, though. It was snowing, and the roads weren’t in great shape. My mom took a back way to the airport and drove well under the speed limit. The drive took longer than normal, but we got there safely.
I said goodbye to my mom and grandma, and my mom instructed me on the route that she wanted me to take home. Hoping that the roads would be the clearest, she told me to head through downtown Duluth and to the interstate. That meant I would be driving down the hill, which I was a little nervous about.
I plugged in my ipod, and selected my most recent playlist. I was going to enjoy my drive. I was wildly alert for the time of morning, so that didn’t worry me. I find that my awareness instantly heightens when I’m behind the wheel. If for some reason I even felt the smallest ounce of sleep, I already had someone in mind to call.
It was a funny thing driving through Duluth at 5 am. I drove past the mall and surrounding area. Everything was lit up, but it was as dead as ever. There was something oddly peaceful about it. Even though the roads weren’t great, there were only a few other cars to compete with. I headed down the hill without a hitch, and got to take in the lights over the lake.
Once I got onto the interstate, I realized something: I really enjoyed the drive. I enjoyed the stillness—the emptiness.
The traffic started to pick up as time went on—people heading into work. I only saw one car in the ditch, though. Everyone was moving pretty slowly.
Once back home, I sat on the couch for a little bit, drove my brother to school, and headed back to bed.
It snowed lightly for most of the day. Fresh snow is the other thing that brings stillness to an area. I couldn’t resist; I headed outside and took some pictures.
Oh, to be in Minnesota.
 |
| Snowflakes in my hair bring me joy. |
No comments:
Post a Comment