Last night, as I had previously posted, I decided to forgo New Years celebrations. I tried to stay up until midnight, but I just couldn't do it. I must shamefully admit that I went to bed a mere hour before the celebrated hour. I snuggled into my bed, for one last sleep in my OWN bed, and was soon fast asleep. Now, I should include a bit of background information here, before I continue with my story. My house is a year shy of becoming a century home. That makes it one of those mammoth red brick numbers, with spacious rooms and large, deep windows. It is also situated a block from the downtown core. Now, the town of Tillsonburg isn't a large one; the population sign says 14,000, but I would estimate that it's now roughly around 15 or 16,000. It's a modest sized town, in my opinion. Small enough to be cozy, but large enough that you don't know everyone (but you do know MOST everyone). Anyways, every New Years the town has a little outdoor gathering at the clock tower, which is located at the central intersection of downtown, and is located a stone's throw down the road from my house (for perspective, I can see said clock tower from my front porch). This gathering is open for the entire town to attend, and usually include a stand that provides people with free hot apple cider, or some other warm bevy. They also have fireworks.
Now, lets get back to my being sound asleep in bed. I am suddenly awoken by a loud and terrifying BANG. I jolt up in bed, my heart pounding. Disoriented, I can't seem to grasp where the sound came from. It is quickly followed by a barrage of more banging and popping. The air outside the house reverberates with the sound. I can actually hear the house shaking from the sound waves. I do the classic frantic look around, trying to figure out what is going on. In my mind, the first thing that pops up is that LO AND BEHOLD we are being ATTACKED! I do believe I said something like "Oh shit", while clutching my chest.
Then, on the wall, I notice a spattering of colour flash and disappear. Breathing a sigh of relief, I finally remember that it is New Years and the town is simply putting on a fireworks display. Hoping out of bed, I stumble to my window, and proceed to watch the fireworks light up the cold winter air. It was quite beautiful. In fact, it was made even more beautiful by the fact that a soft cover of recently fallen snow lay on EVERYTHING - trees, bushes, rooftops - which made the colour reflect even more off the shiny white surfaces. Small flakes were still falling, as well. It made me realize that, of all the times of the year, winter is probably the nicest time to watch fireworks go off. The display lasted a solid twenty minutes, which is pretty spectacular considering Tillsonburg, as I said, isn't a large city. I heard my Mom get up as well, and go into my sisters room to watch the fireworks. We both ooed and awwed. Once they ended, she came into my room, gave me a kiss and wished me a Happy New Year. And then I climbed back into my bed, and went to sleep.
I woke up this morning, determined to stay in my bed as long as possible. It was so warm and cozy, I didn't want to get up. Getting up meant that I wouldn't be getting back in for 10 weeks - March. The thought depressed me to no end. However, I noticed that my Mom was standing in my doorway, looking in at me. It was like one of those moments in a movie, when the parent watches their child sleep, and the child wakes up. I know she is going to miss me. I decided to get up, so that I could spend my final day with my family.
So that's what I am doing. I'm going to enjoy the day while it lasts, because tonight at 8:40pm I will be on a jet, taxiing down the runway, on my way to Thunder Bay....
Happy New Year
No comments:
Post a Comment