The snow is amazing…and messy
| I love when it snows! Last week, I was so excited because the forecast called for heavy snow in New York City (and across many other parts of the country). People had a range of emotions. Some didn’t believe it would happen. Some worried about having enough supplies at home. Some were frustrated because it forced them to change their plans. I was overjoyed because I love it when it snows! The blanket of white that covers the streets makes the city feel so peaceful. It slows down all the fast-paced New Yorkers, myself included. Yes, there are comforts of my life that make it easier to lean into the joy of snow that not everyone has. I work from home. I don’t have to get kids to school. I live in a building with good heat and in an area where power outages are unlikely. I have access to stock up on food. I am safe at home and delight in a cozy day on my couch. I am grateful this is my reality and wish you a similar list of comforts for your life. I tried to make plans to build a snowman or igloo, and everyone was very tentative. No one really knew what the day of the storm would bring. Sunday morning, I woke up, to find the city covered in white. It was beautiful! I had a text from a friend in the neighborhood asking to go for a walk. As you can guess, I was in! Bundled up and headed out the door. As I walked, I only saw a handful of people. A family with kids throwing handfuls of snow at each other, and they were all laughing. A person skiing down the middle of the street. A few people braving the streets to get coffee and bagels, amazingly the coffee shops were all open. Met up with my friend, and we just walked. Roaming up and down the streets. In awe of the beauty of the trees. Occasionally, being honked at by cars trying to drive. We stopped for tea and tried to build a snowman. The snow wasn’t sticking, and I was just happy to have tried. I came home and started a jigsaw puzzle. It was an amazing snowday for me! |
| But then comes the next day… When it is snowing, New York is beautiful and peaceful. The day after? The snow starts to become dirty, slushy, and annoying. The magic starts to wear off, unless you look for silver linings. I walked out of my house and saw my stoop was not shoveled. So, I shoveled it and was initially so annoyed. Then the mailman came by and chatted with me while I shoveled. We reminisced about when we were kids and had to wait for the sirens to find out if it was a snow day. It was the longest conversation we ever had and brought me so much joy. If you have never been in New York after a heavy snow, you may not know that the corners are the hardest part for people walking. In front of each building, the snow is shoveled, but the corners, where the plows pile up the snow, are rarely cleared. People slowly create paths by following each other’s footsteps, it is messy and slippery. Tuesday night, 2 days after the big snow, the snow was piled high, and I was walking to pick up some groceries. I get to the corner, ready to climb over or through a hill of snow, but there is a path. A path big enough for 2 people to walk through. On the corner is a kid about 9 years old and his dad. They both have shovels, and the 9-year-old is working hard. He is digging out a path for people to cross the street. I smiled at the dad and said thank you to the kid. He looks up at me and says, “Of course. It was ridiculous, this one small lane that you had to walk like a balance beam to get through.” He then also had shoveled the opposite corner. It wasn’t his job to shovel a path on the corner. No one was forcing him to do it. His dad definitely wanted to be inside and not shoveling. He saw a problem and fixed it. He made a difference with a small action and his own initiative. This is magic! So, as the snow sticks around and gets browner (and yellower), as the weather is in the single digits here, I have a choice. I can notice all the ways the snow made this week harder, or I can lean into the magical moments of humanity that it created. Guess which path I took 🙂 |
| Golden Nuggets: 1. Look for the silver lining. It is easy for me to see the good in the snowstorm because I love when it snows. It is harder for me to see the good in the days following the snow because I don’t love the mess. Both have silver linings. It is not always obvious or easy to see the silver linings, that doesn’t mean they aren’t there. Look for silver linings in easy moments as practice for finding them in the harder moments. 2. Take action. It is easy to think something is not your job or your place. Yet, when you see a problem, take action. Seeing that a 9-year-old shoveling the corner really hit home for me. We can all take action, take on roles we don’t think are ours. Do something to help out your neighbor or community, even if you don’t think you are the one to do it. 3. Take time to play. Part of why I love the snow is that it gives me permission to go out and play like a little kid. To build a snowman or throw snowballs. To make snow angels and walk down the middle of the street. Play is important. It brings in creativity and joy, opens up possibilities, and fills our cup. Maybe playing in the snow is not your idea of fun, that’s ok. Just make sure you are finding ways to play in your life! |
| One step at a time I shared with you my 3 favorite moments of the snowstorm – the walk with a friend, the conversation with the mailman, and the chat with the 9-year-old. They were all unexpected moments of connection. As the world evolves, it is easier to isolate and feel distant from others. This week reminded me that this does not need to be true. Take the golden nuggets and create a connection! Reach out to a friend you haven’t talked to in a while and ask them to meet for coffee. Call someone you want to spend time with but don’t know well and ask them to go to a museum with you. Pick an adventure, it doesn’t need to be a museum 🙂 Compliment a stranger who is doing something great. Ask someone for help whom you wouldn’t usually ask for help from. Stand a minute longer and talk to a person you see regularly but don’t really connect with. Look for a silver lining and then share it with a stranger. Smile at someone you don’t know in the supermarket. Be the kindness that you want in the world. Be the connection you wish someone provided to you. Be the inspiration you are missing. |
| I’m on Substack Join my Substack – Parenting Adult Children This week, I shared how language makes such an impact on how we view our family. |
