Snowmobiles race along side the road, bundled up fishermen dangle their favorite lures below six inches of ice, and the worries of school slowly fall off with the slush on Jeep mud flaps.

I made the trip home the other day, country music on the radio and family on my mind. I pull into our drive, the past forty miles feeling like the waking stages from a deep sleep, refreshed, relaxed, myself again. Last week’s school was at its “finest” with mid-terms, single digit weather, and the constant reminder that you can’t make everyone happy. At home though, none of that matters.

A little girl keeps staring back at me, laughing when I tilt my hat just right and soothed by the sound of boots on hardwood floors as we pace the living room back and forth. I wonder what’s going on in that mind of hers, still under three months old; she’s probably getting a kick out of how tired my arm is after carrying her tiny butt around all night. It doesn’t take long before big curious eyes grow heavy, sporadic giggles turn into yawns, and I kiss my niece goodnight.

I’ll go back to CSC in a week, ready to crank some more work out, continue progressing at the gym, and with the reminder of what life’s all about.