Choosing to Find Joy in the Snow

An early winter snowstorm hit the Midwest on the last Sunday in November this year. Around 8-10 inches fell in our area, starting in the afternoon and continuing through the night – and high winds made for blizzard conditions. I was safely home with my cat during all of the snowfall – and as I watched my world turn white, I was reminded of a quote that I had shared on my personal Facebook page just a few weeks prior, “If you choose not to find joy in the snow, you will have less joy in your life but still the same amount of snow.” So true…

The following day, it was quite the winter wonderland outside my picture window – and I enjoyed my version of a “snow day.” Two of the three yoga classes I teach on Mondays were cancelled, though I still needed to teach that night. So, I used my day at home to do some yoga class-plan prep, to make a batch of homemade Coconut-Pecan granola, to listen to my new book on Audible (Michelle Obama’s “Becoming”), and to do some writing. I started the first draft of my holiday newsletter, as well as this December blog post.

I have never been a fan of winter, not even as a child. Although I grew up in Chicago, and lived most of my adult life in places with cold winters (Illinois, Montana, Pennsylvania, then Illinois again), I am happiest during the warmest weather – when I can be barefoot, wearing shorts and a tank top, enjoying the hot sun and the warm breeze.

In the absence of the hot sun and warm breeze, however, I try not to be a big weather-complainer. I guess I've always been of the mind-set that the weather is something we cannot control – and no matter what the weather, it can always be worse. So, what does it accomplish to complain about it? And if it's that upsetting to one's emotional well-being, especially day after day, after day...well, perhaps moving to a preferable climate might be in order?

So, as we enter the beginning of this winter and the close of the calendar year, may you find just a bit more joy in this winter season. And until the warmer seasons follow, may you also find some wisdom and comfort in my newly-adopted winter mantra…

“If you choose not to find joy in the snow, you will

have less joy in your life but still the same amount

of snow.”

Wishing you much joy in 2019 – and, hopefully, just the right amount of snow!