To be fair it's a conundrum I would have faced in any given year, though it might have been on a more rolling basis. But because our control of any truly consequential item is completely impossible, stupid little nothings have taken on outsize significance way beyond their import. Whose turn it is to set the table for dinner. The water glass left on the table. The amount of laundry to be done. Were these normal times, all would be minor annoyances. Rather, being among the very few things we can control, they take on global impact.
In my case it's the shift from iced coffee to hot.
Like many who live in areas where the seasons change, I shift from a cold weather mode to a warm weather footing as the year progresses, then back again. That entails a whole host of changes. In clothing it means a shift from long pants and sleeves to short versions of both. Likewise, it's the ditching of shoes and socks in favor of sandals. And it includes the temperature of my beverage first thing in the morning. It's a pattern that has repeated and repeated for many a year, one unlikely to change unless global warming accelerates to supersonic levels.
Usually it's adapted to conform with the day-to-day activities in which I engage. In normal times, I might have to go to a meeting, necessitating the donning of a pair of slacks and a button-down shirt. We might head out to dinner and a movie with friends, necessitating not just the above but the addition of a sweater. And I might have a project with an early morning start in a climate-controlled building, where a dispenser of hot coffee is set up to give all a kick start for the day.
But these are anything but normal times. Like many, my out-of-office, out-of-home activities are severely limited. There's not much need to ever put on anything other than shorts and a casual shirt every day, tempered only by the proviso that it not look too ratty on Zoom. I was heartened to see a picture of Emmy award winner Glenn Weiss directing the Democratic National Convention from his living room-turned control room, wearing shorts, a tee shirt and no shoes. If it's good enough for him, and all that.
And that also means that my morning routine hasn't varied much. Every day generally starts with me working out, followed by a shower and a cup of iced coffee while I sit outside and read the paper. A situation that used to only happen on some quiet weekends or off days, it has been the state of play nearly every day from May till now. Occasionally it might be a wet morning, so I move inside. And the odd early morning conference call means that I have to work first and read later. But the basic slate of events hasn't changed, so much so that it's become not just a sometime thing, but an ingrained and comforting habit.
Until today. While the end of summer often includes the dog days of high heat, it can also snap cooler with an early taste of fall. And that is the situation as I write this in late August. The temperature when I opened the back door and stepped outside was in the 50's. As refreshing as it was, it also portended a seismic shift back to sweaters, footwear without holes and, perish the thought, hot beverages.
I know Labor Day is late this year. And for most that is the traditional end of summer, start of school, back to work marker. But if you are like me, it's not just a another page on the calendar, but a different mental state where you have to sharpen up and leave behind the relaxed mindset that comes with the season.
Was I willing to make the hard turn? I resignedly pulled out a big mug and prepared to go hot. But then I stopped. Dammit, no, I wasn't giving in that easy. I went and got a heavy sweater and a hat, put the mug away and got my favorite large glass and filled it with ice. I'll wear a mask, I'll stay 6 feet away from my friends, but until the leaves really start to turn, you can't pry my iced coffee from my (admittedly) cold hands.
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Marc Wollin of Bedford only drinks coffee in the morning. His column appears regularly in The Record-Review, The Scarsdale Inquirer and online at http://www.glancingaskance.blogspot.com/, as well as via Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
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