The sunlight has that special clarity that's reserved for clear, cold days. It shines through the gold and orange leaves still on the trees. It glints off the frost riming the grass. It has a character that lends even solid objects like tree trunks a translucent look. And I'm stuck inside trying to meet a deadline.
Deadlines are a normal part of our lives.
I faced my first deadlines in grade school with term papers and science projects. Later, when I was in retail, there were deadlines for inventorying the store. When I moved back to New Hampshire last summer I faced deadlines for registering my car and getting a new drivers license. And during my tenure as a software developer deadlines often had the feeling of a brick wall bearing down on me as I scrambled frantically to get out of the way. Skills 101 Managing deadlines is a required skill for developers.