We're in the middle of a thaw. We were just in the heart of one of our largest snowfalls ever. In Akron, we missed the January record snowfall by 0.5 inches! I think the grand total for January snow in 2009 was around 41." Today there are patches of green (brown, really) in the neighborhood yards and the roads are clear. Water rushing down the gutters sounds like spring. But, DON'T BE FOOLED! February thaws are not what they appear. Life can be like a winter melt. People you know can be like one too. Unpredictable. Messy. Unsure of their season. Sometimes you feel they live to make your life a misery. You can't change them. No matter how nice you are, they are still their same old baffling, blustery selves. Sort of like a February thaw--just when you think the ice is finally gone...SURPRISE! It's back again just like those boots and gloves you thought you could finally put away for good. Winter will leave when it is darn good and ready. There is nothing we can do to hurry it, rush it, or make it go away. I have discovered that people are like that too. You can't hurry them, rush them, or even make (some of them) go away. You can't blaze them with the truth when their heart is cold. You can't make them change when they prefer to live a rigid, frozen existence. So what do you do? You learn to live with the winter. More importantly, you learn to live with the uncertainty of spring's arrival. You trade snow boots for muck boots, you learn to mop up dirt two or three times a day instead of once a week like you did before the season (and the people) changed. Lastly, I think, you learn to tip your hat to winter's bitter chill. To smile and say, "I see you, I know you're still there, but I'm looking past you and I'm moving on. To spring.
Journeys are what life is all about. Sometimes we know exactly where we are going and sometimes we end up in places we never thought possible. I've found it's always a good thing to slow down and reflect now and then. So, stop along the way with me...
Sunday, February 8, 2009
February Thaw?
We're in the middle of a thaw. We were just in the heart of one of our largest snowfalls ever. In Akron, we missed the January record snowfall by 0.5 inches! I think the grand total for January snow in 2009 was around 41." Today there are patches of green (brown, really) in the neighborhood yards and the roads are clear. Water rushing down the gutters sounds like spring. But, DON'T BE FOOLED! February thaws are not what they appear. Life can be like a winter melt. People you know can be like one too. Unpredictable. Messy. Unsure of their season. Sometimes you feel they live to make your life a misery. You can't change them. No matter how nice you are, they are still their same old baffling, blustery selves. Sort of like a February thaw--just when you think the ice is finally gone...SURPRISE! It's back again just like those boots and gloves you thought you could finally put away for good. Winter will leave when it is darn good and ready. There is nothing we can do to hurry it, rush it, or make it go away. I have discovered that people are like that too. You can't hurry them, rush them, or even make (some of them) go away. You can't blaze them with the truth when their heart is cold. You can't make them change when they prefer to live a rigid, frozen existence. So what do you do? You learn to live with the winter. More importantly, you learn to live with the uncertainty of spring's arrival. You trade snow boots for muck boots, you learn to mop up dirt two or three times a day instead of once a week like you did before the season (and the people) changed. Lastly, I think, you learn to tip your hat to winter's bitter chill. To smile and say, "I see you, I know you're still there, but I'm looking past you and I'm moving on. To spring.
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