It is amazing how quickly we can be convinced of something and we don't even realize it is happening.
This morning my son came in as we were watching the news. There was an add on for the local weather group and how we should watch them because they are so accurate and up to date. The images that accompanied the add were of "severe" weather. There were clips of snowy highways, people plowing their driveways and forecasters standing in blizzard conditions. The funny thing was there was background music playing that sounded like it was from a horror movie.
My thirteen year old son says, "Geez, you would think the world was ending looking at this add."
I thought that was an insightful observation. He noticed the perspective of the news add to be one of gloom and doom when we get a snow storm. It was one of messes, crazy driving, awful conditions and so on. So, yes, we see that sometimes don't we?
The mind of a child however, sees, sledding, schools out, hot chocolate, snow men and snow ball fights. Big storms become a time to play, get excited by change in routine and just plain fun. I remember the big storm we had last winter and it was pretty crazy for this area. There was about 2-3 feet of snow, the power went out for a bit and there were a few cold neighbors who did not have generators to run their heating systems. What was nice though, is our normal routine stopped with full permission from Mother Nature. We HAD to slow down. The world (our neighborhood) got quiet. We all bundled up, went outside to begin our plowing and trekked around the neighborhood making sure everyone was OK. We had an elderly woman who lives alone come over to stay warm and she sat and knitted all day on our couch. We had a few other neighbors over for a spaghetti dinner that night because we had a gas stove that still worked and everyone chipped in as they could. It was actually a pretty magical day.
I know that for some, these kinds of storms can be very difficult but what I offer here is a new perspective on how we view things and how others effect how we view things. Make up your own mind about your experiences and see what happens. If you tend to look at snow storms as gloom and doom see if you can shift over and give in to the experience. Put more attention on the beauty, the pace and the fun that can come from such events. It is a choice. Personally, I am not a big fan of winter so I practice looking for my hot chocolate often. Stay warm this season.
When I want to have a good cry I put on sad music, when I want to laugh I go play in the snow. Happy Winter to the little kid in all of you.