Snowy Perspective

It was snowing last night, which isn't that much of a surprise, given that it is still January here in Wisconsin. While shoveling snow off the sidewalk earlier today, I made a classic error that most people who have had to shovel snow off sidewalks have made. At one point I braced the handle of the shovel against my midsection. This allows me to more easily put my full weight behind the shovel (the snow was wet, meaning that it sticks together and so is easier to clear away, but is heavier). This worked well enough, up until I reached that one square of sidewalk pavement that sticks up a full three-quarters of an inch above it's neighbor. Needless to say, the blade of the shovel caught, and walked right into the handle. For those who have not experienced this, simply imagine getting punched in the gut; it's like that.

It's things like this that remind me of just how uneven a surface the sidewalk is. Two weeks ago, on Monday, I went to the grocery store. The journey was long and difficult, as most of the sidewalks were covered in ice, water, or both. It did not help that most of the snow lining the sidewalks was also covered with ice, making it just as difficult to walk on, if not more so (stupid irregular surfaces). The unevenness of the sidewalk squares was plain to see (or not see), as the way that the squares were tilted allowed for large pools of freezing water to form.

In the past (in warmer parts of the year) I have seen joggers going past, but jogging on the road instead of on the sidewalk. I've wondered about that, why they would use the road and put themselves at risk from drivers (incompetent or otherwise), instead of the sidewalk. I think I understand now; it's because the road is relatively smooth, especially compared to sidewalks! There aren't a whole bunch of ridges and dips and weird tilts.

It's easy, isn't it, to get used to something. It happens again and again, to the point where it becomes just another part of the day. And it is only because of some significant alteration that we look at it again, forced to reexamine it. Was it always that way? Or has it been changing, but so slowly and subtly that we didn't notice until now?