A Winter Wonderland

It's New York; I knew it had to happen at some point this winter. But there it is--Sunday morning and the weather forecasters are all talking about a winter wonderland outside our doors. Well, they got some of it right--it's winter and I wonder what I am still doing in this land.

The view from the windows is lovely--the forecasted flurries have outdone themselves here. Two inches covering the cars and streets and just about everything. But that's two inches that will not magically remove itself from the sidewalks and the cars. Especially not with a mix coming this afternoon of rain, sleet and snow.

I admit it--I am feeling decidedly grumpy. Couldn't the weather have held off for just a few days, for just a few hours? I have a ton of errands to run, shopping to do and a chasoneh off the Island. The neighborhood is already abuzz with the sound of snow blowers and snow machines. What I wouldn't give for the chatter of birds and the chirping of crickets instead.

A hot mug of coffee is working its wonders as usual and I'm finally awake enough to look at the snow a bit rationally. That's it, the shoulders are shrugging, and "gam zu l'tovah" flashes through my mind. "They" like to say that "into every life a little rain must fall." "They" aren't wrong, but sometimes it's a little sleet, and sometimes a little hail, and sometimes a little snow, and sometimes a little ice. And sometimes a little turns out to be a lot.

Those shoulders are shrugging harder now. "Get on with it" they tell me. That's what boots and mufflers and gloves and shovels and rock salt are for. Just fortify yourself and off you go.

A second cup of coffee and now I'm waxing philosophical. It takes a snowfall to point out that life doesn't always go as expected, certainly not for weather forecasters, and not for any of the rest of us either. We can sit and grump all day about the things we have no control over, or we can get busy, deal with the inconvenience and get on with our lives.

Rolling with the punches is what we are expected to do. Some do this with more grace then others. Some spend precious energy grumbling all the way; others just "get with the program." Some let life's vicissitudes get them down. Others rise to the challenge with energy and glee.

We can't control the outside forces that sometimes "dump" on us. We can control how we deal with the mess those forces leave. Me? I'm coping with the help of one of those marvelous "extra" gifts of marriage--a husband and a son who are out clearing the paths so I can get going. I think I'll have another cup of coffee. Life is actually quite good, now that I think about it. And outside the window it's snowing again.