My Time at the North Pole

Every year I go to the North Pole. I’m there for the first fifteen days in January. It’s my way of letting go of the previous year and charging up for the new one.

There wasn’t much to do there. I stayed in an igloo. I had to make sure to feed the sled dogs. I cut a hole in the ice and fished for my meals. A few times I got restless. But there were no movie theaters up there so I had to wait for the feeling to pass. Mostly I sat.

It took about a week and a half to get back here. I arrived home last night. I had a pretty big beard. It took a couple of hours to shave it. I had to take three baths to get rid of the fish smell from my body. I returned the dogs to the rental place.

Now I’m sitting in my apartment. It’s a small studio, but the funny thing is it’s about ten times the size of the igloo, so it seems like a jumbo room at the Plaza.

I’m remembering one late night at the Pole when I went for a walk under the stars. They are so bright that you feel their warmth in a similar way that you feel it from the Sun.

I was walking along and suddenly came upon a polar bear. We were both startled. The polar bear got really close to my face as he came in for a sniff. I didn’t move. I figured if he was going to eat me there was nothing I could do about it. This relaxed me enough to pat his face. His fur was soft. He licked my hand. I couldn’t believe it. We walked along side by side for about a half hour. I miss that place.