Freeze

A million responsibilities demanded my attention throughout the day. Of course, I taught my normal classes at the Hillyard Center, but I also rushed over to the Monroe Center to give a report at our monthly department meeting. As soon as one meeting ended, I hurried to the Magnuson Building for yet another meeting regarding the new Adult High School Diploma. 

As I left the final meeting of the day, my mind jumped ahead to my responsibilities at home. I still had to finish reading 377 pages of  text for my doctoral program and write a 1,000 word critical analysis. 

Despite the pressure of work and looming deadlines, I stopped for a moment and simply looked up to notice the white frost crystallized onto the tree branches. It was magical, and just enough to calm my anxiety. "I may have a million things to do," I thought, "But the trees are white with frost, and they won't wait for my convenience. I have to appreciate them now." With the remaining light of day, I went to Riverfront Park and photographed the beautiful freeze that had settled over the city.