Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It’s Off to the Primary School I Go.

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It’s Off to the Primary School I Go.

Though not an attractive habit to admit, I’ve always chewed ice. I love ice neatly lining my freezer’s compartment or crushed ice nestling to the brim of a 64 ounce cup.       

Ice coating everything else in creation is another matter entirely. Until last week, I never stopped to consider what it would be like to step through C. S. Lewis’ Wardrobe’s door. Honestly, a few mornings I walked outside and strained to see Aslan’s furry mane bounding to the rescue.

Fun.

With my New Year’s motto being to change things that aren’t working, I was stumped by this icy world. As a friend reminded me, sometimes change isn’t anything we will to happen or remotely our choice at all, sometimes change is thrust upon us whether we like it or not. The White Witch breathing over all we hold dear was something I could do nothing about — except change my thinking. I wondered if there were positives to this ice. Sitting down with pen and paper, I searched for warm, dry patches in this frigid week. 

First, I thanked God the power stayed on.

Then my daughter got sick. This entailed getting up and changing sheets at 4 a.m. All the next day, she felt horrible, lots of retching and moaning. A 60 pound lump of blankets and matted hair lying on the couch was impossible for her brothers to antagonize. For the first time in three days, peace reigned.

I began baking ungodly amounts and spent four days in a haze of flour, sugar and butter softening on counters. A last second flourish of M&Ms added to Rice Krispies Treats resulted in the best tasting things I had eaten in 20 months. Unfortunately, my children didn’t find them as irresistible.

Empty store shelves bolstered another New Year’s pledge — to go low carb. That is until I made Rice Krispies Treats.

My children didn’t entertain romantic notions about snow ice cream. At the sight of that concoction pictured on the internet, little washes of stomach acid rise up the back of my throat.

My husband made it to Atlanta for work. There was little for him to do, but he felt better for the effort. At home, he constantly disruppted — with his fists full of chocolate chip cookies — my new found pleasure in baking by blaming me for all he was eating.

With supplies running low, he volunteered to search for food and returned with five full sacks. His explanation, “I panicked.” Seeing no bread or milk, he bought every can of chicken-related soup in the store. We now have Chicken Noodle, Chicken & Stars, Double Noodle, Dora the Explorer Chicken Noodle and enough large boxes of saltine crackers to construct a life-size powder blue Eifel Tower.

One of my heroes in staying positive through adversity is teacher, Karen Spence.  Wednesday on my blog, read about her completing the runDisney Goofy Challenge of running a half marathon, 13.1 miles, one day and a full marathon, 26.2 miles, the next. (I’m not kidding.)

So when our world ices over — with ice that is not going anywhere — maybe it’s time to try on a pair of ice skates? Or lace up sneakers and head to East Avenue in front the primary school with a pickaxe slung over our shoulder.