The Big Three: Snow

The world can be a crazy place. Some times it helps to step back, close your eyes, and list out a few of the things you’re grateful for. Here’s what I’m grateful for this week, January 19-24:

What I’m grateful for:

—Hot chocolate. Temperatures this week dipped at night to the low teens and even into the negative numbers. Cra-cra-crazy time! Can you say “Brrr.” We got our big snow storm too. And yes, I’ve had my fill of the white stuff. It’s time for summer. Until then, bring on the hot chocolate! Winter nights were made for hot chocolate and marshmallows.

—A finely thrown snowball. You might not have guessed this but the perfect snowball begins as water vapor condensing directly into ice crystals in the clouds, which then fall as snowflakes. Put it altogether, freezing temperatures, moisture in the air, ice nuclei, cloud conditions and you have the perfect ingredients. You pack the snow together and voila, you have the perfect snowball. Best to throw at your neighbor … or your wife when she’s starting the car to go to work. Oops!

—A new journal. Oh, I hate to write in a new journal. I hate the idea of messing up the nice, clean pages with my crazy penmanship. It’s the perfectionist in me. But, I love the look, feel, and smell of a new journal. It’s like getting the prize out of the Cracker Jack Box. Or the prize at the bottom of your Christmas Stocking. There’s nothing else that creates the same feeling of anticipation and joy.

What gave me a smile?

I had a busy day the other day. Everything seemed to go wrong. Before I shut my laptop and called it a day, I closed my eyes and took a few breaths. It was a simple act. I wasn’t expecting anything dramatic. It was what it was.

But, I felt better for listening to my body. I felt glad that I listened to what I was feeling and made myself a priority. Who said you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.

Happy Saturday.