The sun’s shining today, and the weatherman predicts the temperature will rise above freezing. I’ve been out once to chip away at the two inches of ice on the sidewalk and driveway. I’ll be back at it in another hour, when the sun’s strongest.
Chipping on that ice isn’t easy. My wrists hurt when I bang the blunt spade down. My back hurts when I bend and scoop the ice over to the edge. The sun on the snow does weird things to my eyes. And I create a perfect environment for hot flashes when the effort warms me up. Still, the work can’t wait. Hiram’s at work, and Anne’s cleaning house, though she’d chop the ice if I asked her. So ice duty falls to me.
There’s a lot to be said for the job. It’s outdoor work on a sunny day, and after being cooped up for two weeks, that’s a blessing. It burns quite a few extra calories, and with all the holiday goodies around, that’s a blessing, too. It makes the trip from the house to the garage much safer. And it provides immediate gratification, unlike many of the things I chip away at every day: sending off article queries and waiting weeks or months for replies, posting blog entries and wondering if they touch anyone, praying for people I meet and never see again.
The ice I’m chipping away at today is tangible, measurable and cold. Chipping away at hard, slippery things in life never ends, but rarely are they so clearly visible. And at this infrequent time of unexpected blessing, I don’t move forward on faith alone. I can see the progress being made.
It’s an icy blessing, a winter blessing. And on this sunny winter day, it is enough.
