3.7 miles
lena smith hill
33 degrees
Windier today. Colder too. The run wasn’t as easy. As always, there were moments that felt great, when I was strong and joyful. And there were moments that felt not so great, when I was tired and overheated. I did the hill on the river road once and the hill on lena smith 4 times. The road and the trails were mostly clear. It was only when crossing an alley or a block or running up the river road hill that it was icy and uneven. And somewhere — where was it? — there were several deep puddles covering the sidewalk. Oh, I remember: near Minnehaha Academy. 3 deep puddles, at least.
Someone was walking with a dog and holding up a sign. I couldn’t read what the sign said, but people were honking in support, which didn’t sound like support to me. All honks sound threatening or aggressive or seem to signal a warning, especially now when people are using them to alert neighbors of ICE.
Get Out Ice
Read this great story about reclaiming ice on Facebook from Sean Snow:
In an incredible display of solidarity on the East Side of St. Paul, thousands of neighbors gathered at Lake Phalen this weekend for the “Shine Light Over ICE” vigil. Organizers transformed the frozen lake into a massive canvas of resistance, placing thousands of LED luminaries and candles on the ice to spell out messages of welcome and protection for immigrant neighbors. The event was organized by local interfaith and community groups, and was designed to reclaim the word “ICE” from a source of fear back to a source of shared Minnesotan joy.
Freezing weather makes our hearts warm
In Minnesota, we know something the rest of the country doesn’t… the cold has a way of clarifying things. It strips away the unnecessary and forces us to huddle together for survival. We don’t hide from the winter… we drive right out onto the frozen water and light a fire. By turning a frozen lake into a source of warmth and light, our communities proved that no matter how cold the political climate gets, the hearts of Minnesotans burn hot enough to melt the fear. We are winter people, and we know how to keep each other warm.
Source: https://www.twincities.com/…/st-paul-lake-phalen-event…/
We are a winter people and we know how to keep each other warm. Also, the line about the clarity of the cold.
Love #14
In today’s love cento, I took words from 3 different posts by a pub near my house, Merlins Rest. I was unsure what to make out of them until I read this line,
“Community. Connection. Conversation. The Three C’s that Merlins Rest Pub was founded on.”
The Three C’s of Love
Cannot close, Committed
Calling attention, aCcountability: Caught.
Community Connection Conversation
Celebrations Challenges Change
Continue Continue Continue
Cold City Compassion
Does this work? I almost wonder if any of these “3 Cs” could be the title of a poem? I like the idea of creating another poem, using Merlins Rest Pub’s words, with this title, Cold City Compassion.
Cold City Compassion
In the bone-deep Minnesota cold
we invite you to join us.
Together, we will continue
to keep each other warm.
Maybe I could use the quote about being a winter people as an epigraph for this poem?