Reflecting on the Snow Storm
For the past two days, I’ve been stuck at my house due to a winter storm that’s blown through the Rockies and the midwest.
Photo by Tessa J.
Never in my life have I seen this much snow! When I let my dog out to do his business, the snow comes all the way up to his belly! All of his legs are completely submerged (is that the right word?). Yesterday, I spent about two hours shoveling snow out of my driveway. I attempted to leave around lunch time without properly shoveling and...well, I got stuck. At the end of my driveway. Thirty minutes of shoveling later I was able to get the car back up in the driveway...lesson learned.
Most things that required us to leave our house were put on “pause.” Meetings, lunch plans, school, etc. They all paused. They didn’t stop altogether. They didn’t exactly keep going either. Appointments got rescheduled. Meetings were done over Google Hangouts (seriously cool piece of technology). Overall, life paused.
During this brief period of suspension, I’ve come to realize a few things.
1. Pausing causes us to reflect
Since I’ve had more time than usual this week to be alone with my thoughts, I’ve been reflecting on my future. What do I REALLY want to do with my life? What impact do I want to leave behind? What breaks my heart? When I’m 75 years old, what do I want people to remember me by? I know what you’re thinking, “Jeez, Derek, take a chill pill. Those are some seriously deep thoughts there. Be careful or your brain might explode!” And you’re right. Those are some deep thoughts. But if I’m thinking about the outcome of my life, that helps me to adjust my habits and doings today so that I can actually achieve whatever it is I want to achieve. We should all reflect more.
2. Pausing reveals our desires
When we’re left with idle time, how we spend that time shines a huge light on what we value. I could’ve spend my time doing a whole slew of things: cleaning, writing/blogging, music, organizing (I love that), prepping for tax time (I did a little of that...not gonna lie), etc. But instead, what I tried to focus on was my daughter. She’s almost 15 months and is cute as all get out. How many opportunities am I going to get to just spend all day with her? Not many if I don’t make it a priority. I wasn’t perfect, but I attempted to focus as much of my time on my little girl as possible. Because one of my top 5 roles is Father, pausing allowed me to actually focus more on that role.
3. Pausing gives us a break
This one seems obvious, but it’s true! Today returns to normal (a little bit) and I feel so rejuvenated and rested (even after the 2 hours of shoveling).
I certainly wouldn’t mind another snow day, but eventually we have to go back to work, school, etc. Life must go on. I’ve certainly enjoyed the past two days, but I’ve got a bit of cabin fever. I’m definitely ready to get out of the house and interact with society again. :)