Thankful for the Reminder
Snow and I have this thing…. I know all of us get a little giddy when it comes to the frozen participation, but I assure you my thing is different.
Today, as the snow began to fall, the normal anxious and nervous chatter of my fellow southerners amused me as usual. After living for two years up in Michigan, it takes a whole lot more than a few snow flakes for me fear bodily harm as so many do around me. Instead, I went and found an empty patient room, closed the door, and spent a quiet moment staring out into the city. The snow was falling really hard. I don’t ever remember a time down here that it has snowed that heavily for that long. Truly an unusual occurrence, and one that took me immediately back to my days up north.
It is so easy for me to dismiss my time in Michigan by complaining of how miserably cold and lonely I was. I can easily and vividly remember the frigid moments spent scrapping snow off my car and spending six months of the year in coats and gloves. But, somewhere in between the horrendous driving conditions and the multiple layers of clothing, that state became my safe haven. I found myself, tested my limits, and discovered what I was capable of. For that, I will be forever grateful for that time up there. And, the snow was a huge part of that. I had to do so many things by myself for the first time in my life. If I could do those new things up there in four feet of snow, then I surly can do them down here in the warm deep south. It’s all about perspective.
The snow also reminds me of my dogs. I haven’t mentioned them in a long time…. But, (sigh) the snow definitely reminds me their snow boots, the days when the snow was higher than they were, the icicles that Sadie loved to carry in her mouth, being able to let them off their leashes, knowing that they couldn’t run in the deep snow…. Those brave dogs did the Michigan winter with me. Wow… what I would do to see them again.
*****
I laughed out loud as I had to dust off my car this afternoon… This time using a flip-flop that I had in my car instead of the professional ice scraper that I used to not leave home without. I also took the long way home today. I found the curvy and hilly streets that nobody wanted to tackle and I enjoyed the undisturbed winter wonderland. It was pure joy to experience the snow again, to remember, and to realize how much has changed since my days up in Michigan. I needed that. I needed the reminder. I needed today’s snow.
December 2007: Just another normal day in Michigan...
February 2010: A very UNusual day in Georgia.
And just to complete the trip down memory lane... Here is Sadie, with her Icicle. Taken during my first winter in Michigan.
