Snow Day

In the DC area, we are being buried by a snow storm that looks like it could break records.

Over the course of last night and today, I have been shovelling for about five hours. There is a small path out back with a patch of grass for the dog to do his business, a fraction of the front walk is done (to the street at least, just narrow), and about half of the driveway is still left to do.

We lost power for about eight hours and we do not know when our side street will be plowed (I am guessing it will be a couple days). There are a lot of cars that are covered in snow. The digging will continue tomorrow, and probably the next day. Everything is quiet for now.

As I was shovelling, it struck me how snow storms and shovelling are a lot like life. We can be upset, we can think that the storm should not have happened, or that the power should not have gone out. We can think that we should be making faster progress. But all we can do in each moment is move a bit of snow.

We move snow bit by bit and eventually the drive is clear. And any thoughts that we should be able to do it faster or that it should not have snowed as much as it did only add to the burden.

In each moment, just move the snow. Do the task in front of us. That is all we can do.

Snow comes, and we shovel. Can we keep that simple attitude in each moment? In the other storms that come?

Jeff