Winter
Mid-February in the Mid-Atlantic- the snow and ice pelt my window and it is clear that it will be much too hazardous to venture outside in the normal routine of life today— errands, work, extracurriculars. As a child my tendency was to feel thrilled about a “snow day”, as an adult my tendency is to feel trapped. The change in perspective from childhood to adulthood is drastic, despite the same circumstance. The reality is, I am not trapped, although I am limited from doing my normal activities, there are many, dare I say, exciting choices I do have.
Perhaps you’re someone who dislikes snow days, or you’re someone who wholeheartedly embraces them like my childhood self; or maybe you’re somewhere in between. Regardless, we all have times in our lives that feel limiting, cold, harsh, and disruptive to our goals. Often times these situations last much longer than a day. I’ve noticed the first reaction to these “winters” is rarely childlike wonder and excitement, but there is power in our choice to re-enter that mindset and embrace the opportunity that awaits. “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way.”*
While winter (literally or figuratively) days or seasons can bring disappointment, loneliness, or frustration, I encourage you to give voice to those feelings, while focusing on the path ahead. “When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”* What are your negative feelings revealing about yourself and your needs? What goals do you feel like are being inhibited? What is within your power to choose for today to work towards your goals? It is only when we shift our focus from what we don’t have and begin to use our imagination to appreciate what we can do that we begin to thrive. As this transformation happens, the winter no longer feels so unbearable, and gradually we see the snow melt, the flowers begin to sprout, and the blossoms begin to bloom in areas that once felt cold and unwelcome.
* Victor Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning
