Soon, it will be gone, but it snowed a lot yesterday. Kind of hard to believe just how fast things that bring one joy can come and go so quickly. Or, conversely, how the sad times seem to drag on and on. Yet, in calendar days, they could be the same.

Time. It’s a perception. There are those who say that there is no time – that yesterday, today and tomorrow are all existing at the same time. I don’t know about you, but try as I might; I just can’t get my head around that one.

Think of a moment when time slowed down as an accident or near accident occurred. It was slow motion, wasn’t it? Or, perhaps there is something that has gone on forever. Maybe it was a bad relationship or job situation. And you might not even realize how “bad” it was, until you’re out of it, if you are.

And there is the other side. We’ve probably all had a no time moment when there was great joy or happiness and time just flew. Again, it could be a vacation, time with a friend or just an insight or realization that popped into your head that gave you a stellar moment.

The snow is like that.

I so enjoyed feeling it on my face. Big flakes that came down in buckets that covered the parking lot and sent us home early from class. Slow to drive in, but not dangerous if you don’t drive like that four wheel drive vehicle that had to pass everyone until it came to rest off the road while everyone passed it.

And you should see how the snow covered the hill in back of my house. Thick and soft. I’m pretty new to sledding. I learned that as you plop down on your belly and yell your way down the hill that maybe you should close your mouth before it’s completely full of the new white stuff. It’s said that the Eskimos have nearly a hundred different words for snow, depending upon the condition of it. I’m learning a few.

Like this morning.

Yesterday as it was snowing, sledding wasn’t very fast going down the hill. I couldn’t make it all of the way down to the lake. But this morning, I did. There was some freezing rain on top of the six inches or so of snow and the sleds just flew.

We had decided to go out for breakfast. The restaurant is only a mile away if you walk the road and hiking trail. The roadway was a little slick to walk on and so we did what I wanted to do in the first place.

We rode our sleds to the bottom of the hill, out onto the lake and walked across it for a short cut. We were fine. The quiet was wonderful as we stood in the middle of the lake (and listened for cracking ice. No cracks. Just silence.

It’s the walking trail I wanted to tell you about.

Today it was covered with a good six inches of snow. Not really easy to walk, but we each used one of my cross country ski poles (no skis) for balance.

Shortly, a man came walking the trail from behind. He moved with vigor as he passed us. We exchanged a few words and he kept on going.

Suddenly, it was a lot easier to walk as we followed in his footsteps. Before this, the only other tracks we saw were those of deer that crossed the trail. Now, he had made the beginnings of a new trail.

Eventually, we met again as he retraced his steps. We stopped and chatted for a bit about how to carry who we are as we venture out into the busy world. And then, he went on the opposite way.

The path had become easier still to walk. And, we realized, that his path would be easier to travel also because we had walked it – even though we were going in different directions.

Made me think of how those of us who are out there, walking new paths can make it easier for others who are also making it easier for us. We don’t all have to be going the same way or doing the same thing to help each other as we are up early exploring.
Naturally, it made me think of the others. There are those who don’t have the opportunity or the inclination to explore. The same old paths they walk on have been walked by eons before them.

In fact, it doesn’t look like a path anymore. It looks more like a trough or a deep crevice worn down into the land. As they trudge along, all those folks can see is the well worn way ahead. It’s possible to walk in your sleep.

The path has been walked for so long that it is difficult to see anything but the walls that have been built by everyone going the same way. It may appear endless.

For some, this is comfortable or at least easy. They just keep on and never bother to look for a different way to go. In the past, so many have been trapped in this way of life. And for many, it may seem like forever. I wonder what it would take for them to get out? Maybe, the willingness to try another path.

For some, it hasn’t occurred to them that they could jump on the sled, ride down the hill, walk across the lake and take the trail to breakfast. They think they have to drive.

Or, it’s too much effort to take a less traveled road. After all, why would you want to?
There is that familiar saying, “Ships are safe in harbor, but that’s not what ships are built for.”

I wonder what you were built for?

After a great breakfast, we retraced our steps. It was easier this time. As the day progressed, it got warmer and the snow was more compact as we crossed the lake. Still no cracking sounds. And, as we took a few more runs down the hill, that changed too.

The slide became faster and faster and it became more difficult to miss the trees at the bottom of the hill. There comes a time when you need to realize that enough is enough. It’s time to do something else.

Well, at least I got to enjoy it while it lasted.

I wonder, what’s next?

Kathy Sinnett, RN is a Certified Holistic Nurse, Certified Healing Touch Practitioner and Instructor. She is available for holistic treatment of physical, mental, emotional and spiritual challenges through traditional and nontraditional means, (248) 681-6220.