Life's Snowstorms

The forecast for the rest of the week predicts snow.  The flakes will fall one by one until they make a blanket for the landscape.  The ground will be covered in a foot or more of white powder.  The sky will look pink at night.  I'll get to wear my new boots, a hat, scarf, and gloves.   I have such mixed feelings about this upcoming storm.

I've written about it before, but I still just can't get over how much life is like snow.  The snow is so beautiful, but I've been raised to hate it.  Growing up in Utah, I've taken the snow for granted.  I've always thought it was pretty to look at, but still I tell everyone that I hate snow.  

Lately, life has been a snowstorm.  Finals were last week, and I felt like I had a million tasks blanketing me.  After three tests, a paper, a portfolio, and a group presentation it was all over.  The sky cleared and my life was sunny again.  I was too busy trying to see through the white out before me, to notice the little moments that made the week great. It was hard, and I'd forgotten how stressful finals week was.  It was like walking through deep snow, trudging through it wasn't necessarily enjoyable, but jumping in the snow and making snow angels along the way made the work not so bad.  Everything in life is like that.  The snow will only be beautiful and white for so long before it reveals a muddy mess of slush.  But the slush leads to the greenness and beauty of spring.  It'll never be terrible for too long.  

Next semester is only going to be a bigger storm, with RHA, Advanced Fiction Writing, and the myriad of other responsibilities I've chosen to take on, I am afraid that the snow is going to bury me.  I can't see through it now, but when I look back I know I'll see moments sitting in my room writing in my journal, driving around drinking hot cocoa with my friends, eating ice-cream, and just wasting time.  Those moments will get me through, they'll be like sitting inside with a book and a blanket watching the snow from outside. 

That blanket of white snow in the forecast is going to be a beautiful challenge.