Grin and Bear It

Watching the snow fall on Wednesday was almost mesmerizing.  It was so beautiful, with large flakes falling to the earth, in numbers too numerous to count.  It reminded me of the snow globes of my youth.  I loved to turn them over and over in my hands… slowly … watching the beautiful snow flakes fall up or down, it didn’t matter.  I could spend hours repeating the up-down motion, spinning dreams of things to come.  The snow globes were dream creators and I was certainly the dream catcher. 

On Wednesday, I watched as the snow flakes hit the ground, filling every inch of  green or brown, until all that was seen was white.  It was so exciting to see, yet it calmed the senses and soothed the spirit.  I could never live in a place where snow was a common occurrence, as I would never get any  work done.  But… I also would never need medication for anxiety or depression.

I continued to watch, as all the trees and shrubs disappeared, behind the white wall of snow, leaving only white shapes rising from the ground.  Across the street, a neighbor had left white lights outside from the holidays, and twinkling lights sparkled under the snow laden limbs, making a beautiful sight, much like crystals or diamonds.  I watched from my darkened house for hours, completely giving myself to the quiet, beautiful, snowy night.

Eventually, tearing myself away from the nightly spectacle, I turned on my lights and glanced only periodically out a window or door, but even then, the feeling of tranquility surrounded my like a nice cozy blanket.  As the morning broke, I awoke with the same delightful feeling of the night before… until… I realized I  was to be in Knoxville this morning for an early meeting.  I looked out the window and saw snow… I heard ice crunch on the street as a car drove by… I opened the door to a blast of cold air… and my warm and fuzzy feeling turned… grumpy!  How could I have been hypnotized so deep, as to forget how much I hated to go out in snow and/or ice?  I loath driving in either.

As I got dressed, I reminded myself, with the good comes the bad and vice versa.  The beautiful snow fall of yesterday, became the reality of today.  As my Dad always said, “Just grin and bear it”, which is exactly what I did.  I put on my boots, the warmest coat in my closet, and a big grin, as I closed the door behind me… and shivered all the way to the car.