Joy or misery

How can one thing bring so much joy and misery at the same time?
And no, I'm not talking about my children.

For years I worked the night shift.
Leave for work at 10pm when the world was slowing down, everyone tucked into their beds.
No traffic.
And a snowstorm made little difference in my commute time.

I've been working mostly day shifts for the last year.
It's not bad and my body appreciates the normalcy of sleeping at night.
My children don't suffer from the short-fuse that characterizes my parenting when I'm sleep-deprived.

But I drive into the city with everyone else.
And I drive out of the city with everyone else.
I spent 2 hours of quality time with my fellow commuters on my way home yesterday.
Because of a snowstorm.

It was slow-go from the start.
At stoplights I rifled through my purse to make sure I had snacks, just in case I got stranded.
Or hungry.
Salt water taffy and animal crackers.
Drive another 10 minutes, made it two blocks.
Salt water taffy and animal crackers, eaten.
5 mph.
Stop and go.
Windshield wipers caked with ice, not quite doing their job anymore.
Hand out the window, grabbing the wiper when it journeyed close to my hand.
Slapping the ice off.
Uffda.

A 2 hour fight against traffic and snow ended, I got home, safely.
No snowplows out yet.
Dear friend who was watching my children had started supper for my picky eaters.
Home safe and sound.
Out of the snowy, white chaos.

Oh the beauty of that miserable snowstorm when inside the comfort of home.

I woke in the wee hours to feed BabyGirl.
Rocking in my nursing chair, looking out my bay window into the dimly lit snowy streets.
The snow gently enveloping our little house.
Padded against the world.
White and pure.
Like so many other things in life...a misery or a joy...depending on where you are when you experience it.