So… we have a lot of snow. Greg’s away on business. There was no preschool today. Preschool is cancelled tomorrow. I spent an hour shoveling off the deck while the kids watched t.v. I’ve been keeping the upstairs at 60 degrees because I’m worried about ice dams on the roof and the guy can’t come look at them until Wednesday. Did I mention Greg is away on business?
I thought I was fine until I got the e-mail about preschool being cancelled tomorrow and actually thought I was going to cry. My conscious brain was fine with it, but my subconscious emotions were threatening to boil to the surface with real tears.
I had to take a step back, breathe deep, and feel grateful for my problems.
The MBTA is shut down tomorrow… but I don’t have a job I need to get to. There are no patients counting on me for their healthcare. I won’t have to get up early and brave harsh conditions to get somewhere on time because I’m worried about my employment.
My heat and electricity are working fine.
I have a guy who plows our driveway. I just have to shovel the walkway and deck (so the snow doesn’t get too heavy). If I don’t shovel the walkway, nothing bad actually happens.
I have a friend snowed in with kids who have stomach bugs. I have a relative with a horrible cold up in Maine shoveling their driveway and their neighbors, because they’re the healthiest option. I know someone who spent two and a half hours on a commute that usually takes 30 minutes. A neighbor’s downstairs heat is broken.
I think I can handle my situation.
My children are healthy. I’m healthy. We have enough groceries and a stocked pantry and freezer. I’m not stranded somewhere waiting for a flight to get home to my children. I’m here with them, doing puzzles and reading stories in pajamas because we have nowhere we need to go.
Yes, I haven’t had time away from my kids to run in a week. I am snow-bound with young children. They’re getting restless and I feel like I can’t leave them alone for five minutes without someone crying. But they go to bed at 7:30. They’ll watch t.v. peacefully while I shovel and take a shower. We made chocolate chip cookies today.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying complaints about snow days and shoveling and travel delays and cancellations aren’t legit. They are. But if you take a deep breath and focus on all the things that aren’t going wrong, it makes the smaller problems melt away.
Kind of like how snow melts.
Ahem.
KIND OF LIKE HOW SNOW MELTS.
I guess the snow is behind on its blog reading.
I see you are keeping up with your adopted fire hydrant and keeping it clear! I feel for you, you all must have cabin fever. It is one thing to choose to stay home, another to not have a choice. It really puts things in perspective. Hang in there!