I Love Winter

The weather forecast says that it will snow all day.  And this isn’t our first big snow fall of the winter.  We have had lots and lots of snow.  For many, winter is feeling rather old.  Casual conversation at the gas pump and at the grocery store this morning was all about the “terrible weather” and “will winter ever end?” 

I have to admit that I felt differently as I walked outside this morning to brush the 8 + inches of snow off my car.  As I took a deep breath of the fresh winter air, I felt grateful that the air was clean (no inversions with terrible air quality like Utah) and the temperature hovered around freezing.  I looked up to see the branches of our stalwart oak covered with a fresh blanket of white and admired their beauty as large wet snowflakes quickly spotted my glasses.  And yet, I had to smile as I took in the silent beauty that enveloped me and thought to myself “I really like winter”.

Driving away through the unplowed roads, grateful I had four-wheel drive, I was reminded of a conversation I had last night with a friend.  For many years she has supported her hardworking husband as he went through medical school and more recently a four year residency program.   Happily, he is finishing his residency this summer and their cute family will move to a “real job” in another state.  

What piqued my interest about their family’s future plans was my friend’s enthusiastic recount of an important lesson she learned.   She told me she had come to understand how important it is to be happy at your current stage of life.  Instead of waiting to find happiness when some future mile stone is met, she now understands how essential it is to make the most of whatever life throws at you.  We both agreed that learning this lesson now was a valuable thing.   After all, It makes for a happier life.

This brings me back to the snow.   Today life is throwing snow at us, literally, and there isn’t anything anyone can do to change it.  I told my children that instead of grumbling, they need to make the most of it.  Happiness is a choice and today I am choosing to love the snow and love winter and I hope they will too.  Perhaps it is the Canadian in me but I really like winter.  But I might as well like it because it isn’t going away any time soon.