Ah, the snow. I don’t dislike it, to be honest. There is something so beautiful about it. How delicate it is as it floats in the air. How hundreds and hundreds of tiny snowflakes can stick together to coat the branches on the trees. The most lovely thing about the snow is how everything outside becomes quiet, muted, when it has fallen and accumulated.
One of my favorite things is to run in the woods after, or even during, a good snow fall. I love the quietness of the trail.
This February, we have been covered in snow for what feels like the entire month so far. We had some mild snowfall in December and January, but nothing that would even allow a good-sized snowman or a recognizable snow angel.
February has been quite a different story. We have layers out there. We had snow, ice, sleet, more snow, some melting that caused another layer of ice, etc. And, just like most of the country, we were hit again last night.
The snow has started up again this morning, and it’s beautiful. I have to focus on the silver lining, as my tendency this morning to was to feel like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day, once again. You see, this is oddly similar to last year at this time. It was only a year ago that I sat in this same kitchen drinking coffee and wondering how to get through the day. We had cold weather and the schools had closed as the virus made it’s way into our lives. It seems it was just yesterday, and yet it also seems so long ago.
I remember sitting here and watching the snow with a much different attitude last year. All I wanted was to get the kids outside for fresh air after being stuck under one roof together for weeks. I had lost my sense of wonder for the winter weather, and I wanted it to make way for spring instead.
My first inclination, as I stepped out of bed this morning, was to let my soul groan in despair. Today would have been the first day in a long time that I had nothing on my calendar. With the kids actually ALL being in school, which is rare, I had a full day to get lost in the woods or in a good book. I was looking forward to the quiet, and to making my own schedule; drifting from one good cup of coffee to the next, without a care in the world. No work today, no nothing.
With the snow, however, they are all home again. Arguing had already begun before I even finished brushing my teeth. Instead of letting the weight of the day seize me and pull me under, I chose to grab my mug and sit by the window. I chose to remember the beauty of the snowfall, the artistic covering of the trees and statues in the yard, the quietness that lay out there as the deer crossed the yard silently between the trees.
Although it may feel like the movie Groundhog Day, and it reminds me of how last year was, I will choose instead to focus on beauty and quiet. Stillness. Maybe it will stick around long enough that even I will get to play in it….
Run Happy.
Run Long.
Running Truths 