Cheerful (Determinedly So)

 This winter seems to be going on forever. Logically, I understand that it is still winter and that snow in mid-March is not unreasonable. However, it feels quite unreasonable to be dealing with six inches of snow on St. Patrick’s Day. I don’t think I’m the only one who feels this way either. Pretty much everyone I’ve talked to has just had enough winter for a while. We’re ready for Spring. We were ready for Spring about three weeks ago.

That said, grumbling about the weather doesn’t seem to be doing much useful. It’s certainly not changing anything and it’s not making me feel better. I am choosing to be determinedly cheerful instead. So in the spirit of cheerfulness I thought I would list five things I am grateful for today.

1. I arrived home from my church retreat BEFORE it started to snow yesterday. We were up in the mountains about 2 hours west of home so I was worried. I am not comfortable driving in snow at all and avoid it whenever possible, so this was definitely a blessing for me!

2. I ate corned beef sandwiches for lunch with my family to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day instead of eating a sandwich at my desk while I continued to work. I also got to wear my comfortable green T-shirt in honor of the day instead of scrounging something more professional to wear. By the way, why is it that vivid green is hardly ever the “in” color?

3. My husband, daughter and I went sledding together this afternoon and the snow was perfect. We had several really good runs on the family sized sled before my daughter got too cold to continue having fun. Then we went inside and drank hot chocolate, built a fire and watched a movie together.

4. The snow was light and not difficult to shovel off the driveway, sidewalk or car. Hooray! No sore back tonight!

5. Spring is coming. I can see buds on the trees. The bulbs we spent an afternoon last fall planting are starting to sprout green leaves. There are even yellow crocuses blooming in my yard! I admit, they are currently under a blanket of snow, but I am thinking (perhaps optimistically) that this blanket will actually protect all the plants from the 20 degree temperatures tonight so that they live through the freeze.