Cute

1.22.2013


It's cold here in Philadelphia.  Like, really cold.  It was 18 degrees this morning on my walk to the train, a walk that was a bit touch-and-go thanks to fresh pockets of ice and snow.  Imagine me: cautiously rushing (ha!) over uneven, ice-covered sidewalks (in inappropriate footwear) to make my train.  Thanks to my layers and my oversized puffer coat, I was a hot, bulky mess, ambling down the hill trying not to slip on the ice or trip on the tree roots that have busted through the concrete sidewalks.

I had three minutes to descend Mt. Nippon (or as others call it, Nippon Street), cross the street, walk around the High Point Cafe and cross the bridge over the train tracks.  Of course my nose was running, but I wasn't about to waste precious seconds de-gloving, so I just let it run.

Cute.

And of course, my hat was flopping about, first in my eyes, then nearly popping off my head.  I needed my arms to help keep balance, as if I were walking a balance beam to the train, so I quickly mashed it down and returned my arms to their fully extended position.  Then the wind blew a few strands of hair into my freshly glossed lips, where they remained and intermingled with the snot that was taking up residence on my upper lip.

Cute.

And then, to top off the cute-express, my eyes watered, causing my mascara to smudge and blend into the glossy, snotty palate.  I'm telling you, I put the (c)ute in commute.  I was feeling pretty alone in my fugliness until I finally reached the train platform.  But then I looked around and realized that deep winter is just the season of universal ugliness.  Who are we kidding?  When it's 18 degrees, we're all just trying to survive and get from point A to point B in one piece, let alone look good while doing it.

So, my fellow freezing friends, I will look the other way when you have a frozen snot/lip gloss/mascara blend on your face if you will extend the same courtesy to me.  Spring will be here soon and we'll all be cute again, but until then, just go with it.  After all, winter is beautiful in its own special way.  And so are we who endure her.

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