This morning it’s six degrees below zero, our 50th sub-zero day this winter.
Bellyaching about the weather fills my social media feeds. “I can’t take this anymore” is the general theme. Misery is reinforced with more misery. Everyone dreams of an escape.
Today I found an antidote to all the complaining. The neighborhood kids were at the bus stop. They always come out early for some play time before grabbing their backpacks and marching single file onto the bus.
As I watched, I noticed they didn’t seem the least bit cold. They were too busy having fun.
Today’s activity was King of the Hill. The red-jacket king was ruthless in repelling attackers. Eventually, though, the attackers’ persistence paid off. Sadly, the new green-jacket king’s reign was shortened by the approaching bus. Perhaps tomorrow he can start off on top.
The kids reminded me to look for opportunities in adversity. An endless, cold and snowy winter creates some huge hills over which someone needs to rule.
When I close my eyes and think back forty-some years, I knew how to do this too. My friends and I found all kinds of interesting ways to have fun.
While the ability to make the best of every situation can be elusive, I’m certain I still have it. The challenge is remembering to use it, especially when everyone else tells me I should be miserable.
