The Whole Wide World

I started writing this post last night after my weekly yoga class and as of last night it began, Big day today!...but turns out it was just a normal day instead.

Last summer, in the months leading up to heading down here, there were lots of Zoom calls with various departments and management teams across the ice. I specifically remember one of the last Zoom calls I was on with with the galley manager, Rob. During it, he told us all that if he could give us all one piece of advice for the coming months, it would be to remain flexible. Solid advice for anything in life, but especially so down here. Everything, other than the guaranteed 54-work week and the 24/7 darkness (or light, depending on the season) is weather dependent and you just have to be flexible…or you don’t, but you’ll find yourself mighty uncomfortable.

I thought I was joining the Berg Field Center team in the Hagglunds to check on the Castle Rock loop this morning. It meant an earlier start to my day and also that I’d be outside almost all morning. They make trips on the loop every so often to check on the flags and dig out any snow that has accumulated around the entrance of the apples, which are the emergency shelters on the loop. It’s part of their job, but was presented to me as a morale trip. I love the ladies that work in that department and was excited to get to ride along on the loop rather than hike it. Don’t get me wrong, hiking is great in the daylight, but in this kind of cold and darkness, I’d much prefer the ride out of town where there is no light pollution and I can stare up into the sky and remember how small I am and how big the Universe is.

As I walked over to their work center in the dark this morning, I was greeted on the road by my gal Pepper who let me know that the trip had been postponed due to weather. My disappointment quickly dissipated as she asked if I wanted to grab a coffee and catch up. Catch ups with Pepper are one of my favorite things about this winter season. Time spent with her always fills my cup up. Sometimes I shed tears, sometimes she does, sometimes we both do, but that’s the beauty of time with her, I always feel better after a dash of Pepper.

Every time we get together I learn a new thing too. First there was the two beers and a puppy test, then she shared her rate a guy scale, which was basically before she enters into any kind of relationship with a fella, she asks herself if she would allow her sister or best friend to. If he isn’t worthy of their time, then he isn’t worthy of hers. Today’s nugget-the 5×5 rule…when you are upset about something or have a stressor, take a moment to think about whether or not it will matter in 5 years. If it won’t, don’t spend more than five minutes stressing about it. When your problems need to be put into perspective, the 5×5 rule is a good thing to remember.

Thinking I’d be out on the Hagglund adventure, I rescheduled the weekly Tuesday morning bev pull for the afternoon instead. It was a big pull because the supply team are auditing next week, so they aren’t making any deliveries, which meant a double pull this week. I recruited extra help for it since the order was so big. I also had to just do the counting and refrain from doing any of the lifting since although my back feels better again, I am still taking it easy to let it really heal.

This evening I thought I was off on another adventure…a trip to Phoenix airfield was organized for some of us and I made the list of attendees. But, with the pending weather, that too, was postponed. When it does happen, we will ride out to the airfield, where light pollution is also not a thing, in Ivan the Terra Bus. That’s the big wheeled overland vehicle that I first rode on when I landed on the ice.

So here I am, remaining flexible, another day in the normal grind of McMurdo life, being grateful for all the little moments.