One look out the window confirms what the calendar has been telling us for weeks: we are smack dab in the middle of winter. The days are short, the air is cold, and the sky is all too often gray.
While these few months can feel like an eternity to those of us who prefer the splendid surf, sun, and soirees of summer, there are plenty of lessons to be learned from winter. Here are 4 things this cold, hard season has taught me:
1. The sun will come out tomorrow – or maybe the next day. But it will come out. It is scientifically proven that a lack of sunshine can negatively impact your mental and emotional state. If you find yourself down in the dumps during the winter months, you are certainly not alone.
The good news is that at some point, the sun will return. It might not be as warm as its July version, but its mere presence can do wonders for the soul. Plus, don’t you appreciate the sun even more when it’s peeking through the clouds on the coldest, grayest of winter days? Yeah, me too.
2. Take things slow. Winter’s dreaded mix of snow and ice can be lethal if you decide to take things too quickly. I am certainly guilty of rushing to get out the door, only to slip and fall flat on my back due to the sheet of ice awaiting me on my steps. Lesson learned. The advantage to the often inclement weather is that we get tons of practice taking our time.
Moving more slowly is not just something we should try to do during winter. In a fast-paced world in which information comes constantly darting at us from all directions, perhaps it is best to take a careful and cautious winter’s approach to life all year long.
3. Expect the unexpected – and then roll with it. Winter is sure to cause some unexpected delays. Whether it’s a deeper than expected snowfall that leads to you running late for work, or a stressful flight delay caused by a blizzard in your city of arrival, you can rest assured that winter will bring its share of headaches.
But if you remember that your health and happiness are more important than things always running smoothly, you will be grateful for the chance to enjoy winter and all its madness. You’ll eventually get where you want to go, so relax and enjoy life as it is – even if it’s not exactly as you planned it.
4. Beauty exists in all things. That’s right. Even during the slushy, muddy, and chill-inducing winter, you don’t have to look hard to find a season’s worth of beauty. Have you ever really examined the incredible complexity of a snowflake? Or the frozen magic of a 3-foot long icicle?
Sure, those things can be nuisances that make life difficult, but they also contain an equal amount of beauty and wonder. Oh, and I haven’t even mentioned the intense winter sun as it breaks through gray clouds to reveal a crystal clear blue sky. It’s almost enough to make you feel okay that summer is still five months away.
I hope that you stay safe and warm and enjoy the season that you are in at the moment. It might be cold, gray, and inconvenient at times. But before you know it, all that brilliantly bright snow will melt and be gone until next year.
The Music Mom: Eileen Carey 