Today is Family Day in Ontario. A day to relax and spend time with your family. Many people will no doubt be weary after yesterday’s Flag Day celebrations. Not all of us have the day off though. This is a provincial holiday and I work at a federally regulated company. We don’t qualify.
Off to work…
When I stepped outside this morning I was immediately reminded why my parents chose to live in the South for the winter. It took about four kilometres for my car to warm up, the steering wheel another four. The temperature on my dash read -29C… bloody cold.
But it didn’t matter, it was a holiday and there wouldn’t be any traffic, guaranteed to be an easy commute. In fact, I would be there so early, I could stop at the coffee shop, sit and enjoy an americano while reading the news.
So it was, despite the cold and no holiday, that I was driving to work, happy in the knowledge that I would shortly be sitting, with my iPad, in Starbucks.
I arrived there even earlier than expected, very few cars in the parking lot… exactly one. There was a light on, just like any other day. The friendly barista, who I see every once in a while, even waved cheerily as I walked up to the door. A quick look through the windows confirmed I was the first to arrive. I would get one of the big comfy chairs by the fireplace… bonus!
I grabbed the cold metal handle on the door and it wouldn’t budge… was it frozen?
The barista, still smiling, crossed his arms, making a big ‘X’. The store was closed, he was only teasing me. Obviously a provincially regulated outfit.
Next year, I’m taking Family Day off.
the dan blog 