Brrr: Your Guide to Staying Warm This Winter
Published: 2015
Brrr.
The air hurts my face. The cold hurts my lungs. The lack of heat hurts my skin. From inside, with a warm fire, my hot tea, and a heartfelt book, the snow has never looked better. From inside, ohhhh yes. Oh, but from outside, oh no. From the outside, I have always viewed the snow as an unnecessary freezing of water. Raise the temps, world, raise ‘em!
But besides all this negativity that often comes with winter, something tells me I am being completely one sided. So, snow, I’ll give you a second chance.
Look, it says, look at each snowflake. Unique, different from all others. Each snowflake curses drivers, adds cautiousness to each pedestrian, and cancels school as one flake becomes two, three, four… one thousand, two thousand. The snow piles, inch after inch, maybe even foot by foot, as we just glance outside at how much we have to shovel.
Look, again, look further. Look at each child who seems to light up and glow just like they are being struck with sunshine. Look at each tree which appears to hold the snow so gently. Look at each field which seems to allow the snow to lay like a blanket. Look at each building, each building that allows the snow to sit, to glimmer, to sparkle.
I have learned that when searching for happiness, you can always find it in a child. Children know best, they do. Their enjoyment is pure, untainted by society, and uncontaminated as they run around and play with anything and everything. Children LOVE snow, so why don’t we?
Have you ever wondered if instead of this being a horrible, cold, nasty time of year, that maybe it is nature’s best time of year? It is the time of the year that the trees, the fields, the buildings can take a break. Not only do the bears go into hibernation, but so does our environment. As I watched the snow fall so quietly onto my surroundings, all I could think was that the snow was gently kissing the trees, softly giving the fields a white quilt, and allowing the buildings to get some rest. The snow, beauty at its finest, allows our environment to get some sleep, to sleep until summer comes once again. Without winter, without snow, without lack of heat, we would miss this beauty.
We would miss beauty, but also opportunity. Opportunity to learn that time without paradise is when we learn what paradise is. How would we ever look forward to vacation if we had vacation all year?
If you are in a climate that experiences cold, snowy, freezing temperatures, change your outlook. View it as a time for rest. Without this rest, nature would never be able to give us what we look forward to in our changing seasons. If you do this, I guarantee not only will your winter months be more thoroughly enjoyed, but you will create your own warmth. People will surround you and chances will come your way. Your guide to staying warm this winter is as simple as that. Think of each shovel of snow and each snowball as carrying a thread of happiness. A thread of brrrr. A happy brrrr.
-Happiness in Handfulls
