I looked up at the constellation Orion on a frigid January evening in 1978 as I walked along some lonesome railroad tracks in the middle of Madison, Wis.
Though brilliant as always, the mythological Greek hunter wouldn't keep me warm as I tried to hustle back to my apartment. I was a junior in college and, as college students are apt to do, I didn't dress warm enough for the conditions.
Audemars Piguet Replica WatchIn fact, I still believe that was the coldest I have ever felt.
I cursed the biting wind as I intermittently pressed cold gloves to my ears and my face. Tears didn't even have a chance to swell as they immediately turned into ice, making it difficult to blink. I tried running at times on numb feet inside Converse tennis shoes, but it only seemed to make matters worse. All I could do was walk fast.
Then I cursed myself for
not heeding Mom's lifelong warnings to bundle up when it got so cold. That just wasn't cool, you know.
Only halfway through my 2-mile frigid hike, I wasn't sure I'd make it. So, I tried to take my mind off of the arctic torture. That wasn't much help because I thought about how much I disliked college.
Yeah, I was one of those rare birds who didn't enjoy what most people insist is the best part of their lives. A small-town boy, I got lost in the shuffle of 40,000 students. I expected too much, but I also didn't apply myself enough, either.
That cold January night, I
had just finished a four-hour work-study shift in the Memorial Union kitchen. I was as introverted as the gay man with hair nets on his head and stringy beard was extroverted. But I must admit, he made all of us laugh at his antics.
Replica SneakersLots of dreaded reading and studying awaited me at the apartment, which I shared with three other students. Called The Regent, it still exists across the street from Camp Randall Stadium. Boy, did we have some wild parties on football game days.
The cold was starting to give me a headache as I neared the end of my trek on the tracks and turned the corner. Just a couple of blocks to go now.
I looked up at Orion again, those unmistakable three stars in his belt. I thought about the millions of people before me who had similarly gazed up at him. I wondered how many had been as cold and miserable as me. After all, winter is the best time to view that particular constellation. The thought helped me make it through that night.
When I finally slipped into the wonderfully warm relief of the Regent, the pondering ended for the time being.
But it continues to this day, especially on
embroidered patches the unbearable below- zero nights we've been having lately. Orion will be up there to contemplate for generations to come. And, in some strange way, that makes me feel warm inside.
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