Comfortably predictable, winter brings a bustle of activity at the National Gallery of Art's ice skating rink on the National Mall. Expert and amateur ice skaters alike appear in their warm gear, eager and ready to take on the weather and the ice.
You'd think I would grow tired of this annual activity, one that I enjoy from the sidelines. But it never fails to engage me.
But there was something extra special about this particular mid-afternoon visit to the rink. The skies were unusually complex creating almost spooky shadows on the skaters and on the sidewalk. It felt like a page out of a Poe short story, as if something unexpected would happen next.
Sitting on a bench with hot coffee in hand, I drank in the scene and, when I got up to leave, I felt as if I had been in a meditation class. All felt right with the world. I felt lucky to have access to this skating rink, a place to let my imagination wipe away any concerns of the day.
Refreshed, I was ready to head home.