Day 56 :: Saturday February 25 :: Ottawa

Make something heavy seem light.

I went a little outside the proverbial box today in that what I did fit the assignment, yet nothing was actually created. Huh?

After a mild few weeks, winter returned like a lion yesterday and left a lot of snow behind. While walking home post-work in the snow and wind, I passed many people shoveling and snowblowing... It made me think about  growing up in northeastern New Brunswick, where visiting family in winter almost always meant coming home after a long drive, late at night, and finding a mountain of snow in your driveway – one more hurdle to clear before a well-earned rest. Then the thought of a friend who is currently on a well-deserved vacation in sunny climates (i know, lucky!) came to mind.

So today, I snuck over to his house and shoveled his driveway. The snow was about 20cm deep, and heavy; the mini-snowbank courtesy of the plow came up to my knees. It took just under an hour to clear it all. I even sprinkled salt on the icy patches on the walkway.

The best part? I had a smile on my face the entire time. The snow might have been heavy, but it felt light - because i was being kind to someone. Bonus: it was a wicked core workout :) My only regret will be to miss the look on my friend's face when he comes home – i'm not telling him i did this!


Update: the friend found out, and sent me this message: "Wow... that was really kind of you. (...) Boy my neighbors must be ashamed of me... what kinda guy disappears and lets a girl come over and shovel his driveway by hand!! (...) It's a really nice writeup (...) and a thoughtful touch (...) You have totally surprised me (...) i guess you know how happy i was to have had a good samaritan :)"