As a child, I loved the snow. If just 2 snowflakes fell out of the sky, I would be overcome with joy thinking about all the wonderful fun I would have if it would just keep snowing. So, last night, as it began to snow, I remembered being a child and wanting several feet of snow. I remembered all the times we did get snow and how many days of school I missed because of all the snow. It reminded me of the poem I read by Ralph Waldo Emerson titled "The Snow-Storm". Reading that poem took me back. I remembered looking out across the fields and it seemed like the white went on forever. I remembered seeing the snow piled on the roof of the barn and it looking like a big white fluffy blanket covering the barn and everything in it. I remembered the way that the fence posts went from being 5 foot tall pieces of wood to lumps in the snow. The snow had blown up against the door and leaving the house would have involved some heavy duty snow removal! And I always volunteered to do just that because I couldn't wait to get out into the white powdery blanket of fun!
So then I wondered..... why is it that as an adult, I don't get that excited about the snow? When I look at my child and see the joy on his face brought on by a mere dusting of snow, it makes me wonder why I no longer feel that same way? Why can't I just sit back and look at the beauty of nature and enjoy it? You would think snow would excite me because I work at a school and any accumulation of snow usually leads to a cancellation or at the very least, a delay. And that part of the snow does excite me, but I really think that as I get older, the thought of freezing my fingers off just to be outside playing in it is ridiculous. I absolutely HATE driving in the snow and especially now that I have a child. I really just wish that I would take time, more often, to just sit back and enjoy the beauty that nature provides for us.
With all that being said, I AM going to make it a goal of mine to sit back and enjoy life from now on. I am going to try to stop grumbling and the thought of snow and start remembering that I used to love this stuff. And since it is almost Christmas, I say LET IT SNOW!
It is so hard to embrace some of the things that make our life hard as adults. Isn't it amazing to be able to look at our children and remember how we used to feel? I hate the snow too. I also (please don't think I am a horrible person) hate Christmas. Yeah. I said it. I HATE Christmas. I love the idea of Christmas and all that it stands for. However the commercialism and stress that comes along every December is miserable. My daughter would disagree. She is obsessed with Christmas. Since before Halloween, she has been talking about it daily. My husband and I had decided before we had kids that we were not going to "play Santa." She literally argues with us when we tell her that Santa isn't real. How can I destroy her joy though? This year, I have just dropped it, and I am trying to embrace all things winter and Christmas. I still have my moments, but I am doing better than last year. I hope you also have luck in being able to embrace your child's joy. It really does go all too fast with children.
ReplyDelete