Snowstorms have some important lessons to teach us.
First of all, they show us that the amount of control we have is pretty meager. Humbling, eh?
Second, they tell us that there’s something bigger out there. (It doesn’t hurt to be reminded of that from time to time.)
But there’s another lesson that struck me recently and I want to share it with you.
Not long ago, I called a friend . . . can’t remember why. Within seconds she asked me, “Are you snowed in?” I told her I was. Then she uttered something off the wall. “Isn’t it just wonderful?” I had to tell her the truth. “Absolutely!”
We then giggled like two school girls running down a hill with hair and ribbons flying in every direction.
That incident highlighted a subtle fact for me:
Many of us do a poor job of granting ourselves personal alone time—guilt free—unless it’s forced upon us.
That’s too bad because regular breaks are necessary for our mental well-being. They free us from the constant stream of daily stresses and demands.
Unfortunately, our society values frenetic busyness and productivity over solitude. We’re rewarded for that activity versus the activity of solitude which is easily viewed as lazy. But solitude is far from laziness and it’s far from being unproductive.
In our moments of solitude we reconnect with ourselves, go inward, reflect on and process life’s events. Solitude is a necessary shelter for recovering and recharging. Once we resurface from our space of solitude, we’re prepared to tackle the world anew.
So, instead of feeling guilty about our desire for personal time, or relying on the weather to do us a favor, we should be eagerly factoring it into our daily routine.
Excuse me while I go follow my own advice. 🙂
Salee Reese 