Tell Me Something Good
Hey upbeat friends!
I could look out the window today and say, “ugh, it’s a blizzard. how awful.” But, that’s not what I’m choosing to see.
I see pristine, soft shimmering snow everywhere. It reminds me of childhood when we used to make these igloo homes with various twisting, narrow rooms. My mother dressed me in a one piece, waterproof snowsuit that I used to smooth the inside of my snow home. Now maybe I was just shorter, but as I recall the snow stayed quite deep throughout the winter. I recall the roads being covered with snow rather than plowed down to the pavement.
My days after school were spent bobsledding down a neat curvy run two streets over or tromping through the woods. And after work, my dad often took us out for a pre-dinner toboggan run at a country club a few towns over. Quite a long, steep hill so we really picked up some speed. On weekends, we had a lot of fun snowmobiling or ice skating or skiing.
There’s been talk in my town of putting in an outdoor skating rink for the season. I’d love to do that, too!
I don’t recall the angst over snow that we’ve got now. Folks drove around in their rear-wheel drive cars like it was no big deal. Our road had a huge hill. In the morning after a snow fall, the cars would “gun it” halfway up the road, snaking their way to the top. I remember having to roll back and retry as many as three times before reaching the top.
Perhaps it’s just distorted memory, but it seems that we took life more in stride and sweated less of the small stuff.
How about you, can you share something good that’s happened to you recently?
Giulietta
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Giulietta, I enjoy your page. I like what you shared here about Choosing to See Differently! I do believe that I am doing this more in the last few years and reconditioning the mind for success and personal growth spurts –we are here to celebrate too after all! 😉 not just work hard unless its playing hard in our purpose zones! I adore your writing and how you bring the images to the forefront of my mind! Soft shimmering snow! 🙂 I totally get you! hugs, Jenn
Hi Jenn,
What an upbeat comment! All of it. I appreciate your kind words about my writing. You are so right that we are here to celebrate, too. Now that would make a great post title. Will skip on over to your site at some point today. Many thanks! G.
It is as if we don’t have time to stop and take everything in stride anymore. It is kind of – odd actually. I grew up in a small mountain town with snow every winter. It was no big deal as a kid. I remember mounds of snow in the median of the highway as that was the only pace to plow it – and it was often high enough that the cars turned into lab rats wandering through mazes in hopes of arriving home safely. But people drove with the snow in mind as well as the other drivers. Sometimes, the way I remember it, I lived the “Northern Exposure” kind of life… anything and everything happened and it was “normal.”
Good to me today – School was two hours late meaning I worked a little from home and took my time coming in; I put paid bills in the mail; and the wind was much less gusty than the weather man promised (however, I think his promise was more for this afternoon!) And, when that wind does blow, I have fabulous scarf and gloves to help keep me warm!
Hey TE,
Mountain town you grew up in sounds very cool. Many young folks have opted to return to the small towns in the mountains they grew up in. They report a pull to go back.
Northern Exposure way of life – loved that show. Must have experienced a strong sense of community.
Excellent to arrive at work two hours later. A big plus when it snows these days. Setting side the rush you mention in your first line.
Aren’t scarves and gloves super? I also look forward to wearing my hat. Hat, gloves, scarfs and the coldest day seems warm.
Thx for a “warming” comment! G.
Making connections with inspiring women like you is definitely “good.” Tomorrow on my blog, I’m posting some old photos of my grandparents posing in bathing suits (my grandma in a bikini) in front of a snowman. The photos made me sad at first, because I miss them, but then I felt happy because it reminded me of how I want to live. You do that with your blog– you remind me how I want to live!
Hi Angie,
I’ll return the compliment. It’s been terrific meeting you as well. Love grandparent pictures and stories. Will swing by your site tomorrow to check out the photos. They had a fun day posing for that photo, I’m sure.
Very freeing of them to do that! Appreciate your ongoing kindness and vibrancy.
Let’s all make a snowman/woman/pet this week. G.
This morning as I headed out to walk my dog in -1 degree weather, it was more a matter of taking a deep breath and keep truging. Then, just about the time I could no longer feel my fingers or toes, I rounded a corner in my condo complex and there, silhouetted in the light from one of the buildings, was a bare tree with its branches outlined in white snow. It was so beautiful, I stood transfixed. Changed my whole outlook on the day.
Hi Narcy!
Yes, the bare trees are stunning with the snow perches on their wands (limbs). Transfixed – lovely word to describe your vision.
Great you had the chance to appreciate the beauty of winter.
Just returned in from shoveling for an hour. It’s dark and crisp and mesmerizing out there. The perfect kind of snow to create either a snowperson/animal (polar bear?) or an igloo house.
I’m obsessed with building an igloo house, my first since the age of 8. Writing about it here, I suddenly remembered that we cut out snow “bricks” in the crusty top of the snow and fashioned the igloo that way, like an ice mason.
The air felt invigorating this early evening in Massachusetts.
Thanks for stopping by to share your glittering tree story! G.
Hi, Giulietta. I stumbled upon your site and read your post – I really like your point of view. Thanks for your post!
You must have had a great childhood. Reading about your made me think of mine – back in the flat lands of Central Illinois, there weren’t many good sledding hills, but my mother bundled me and my two sisters up after a big snow and took us to her best friends childhood home on the Little Vermilion River. We would start at the top of the hill and sled all the way to the edge of the frozen river. The big kids would go skating by the dam. After what seemed like hours of this, we would go back to the house all wet and worn out, and get big mugs of “real” hot chocolate, and take in the antiques. Everything had a price tag attached because they were antique dealers. What a ball it was being in their home!
Thanks for helping me relive that wonderful memory.
Hi Nancy,
Isn’t stumbling great? Glad to have your comment on board here. What a lovely childhood memory of being bundled up by your mother and sledding down to the frozen river, followed by that great reward of hot chocolate. Doesn’t get much better than that. And all set in and around an antique store — another place I love to visit because it’s quiet in those places and the memories of the folks that used that stuff whisper stories to those willing to listen.
Will check out your site and blog. I want to see your metal designs! Thank you! G.
Giulietta,
As a child, I dreamed about having an igloo house, but where I lived in southern England, it rarely snowed enough for that. Then I moved to Mexico City and didn’t see real snow again for many years.
I moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico mid-October. One day, people were walking around in shorts and the next, we had about 8 or more inches of snow – some said 12. I had the time of my life frolicking in it.
What I came to love about being snowed in – as I was several times since I stayed in a rural area – was the beauty of a snowy day and the wonderful quiet and calm that accompanied it. I’d feel as if I were the only person in a pristine world. Everything looked so untouched, so perfect, much as it must have before man ruined the landscape.
Like you, I wonder what’s the angst over snowstorms? They happen every year and have done so long before snowplows came along. It’s just a media ploy to fill in the news. I’ve found that any place I go, whatever the weather is like, it’s always a topic of conversation.
Hey Penelope,
Love the picture you paint of a snowy day. yes, a day of peace and rest and beauty. Now that you mention it, what struck me most during the snow storm was the quiet – the reprieve from all that noise. With the exception of the plows, the incessant traffic by my home had ceased to exist. The only other time I experience that calm is in the dead of night, another time of day I love for the quiet.
Jimmy and I plan on going into the woods and taking some winter photos for a calendar idea!
Why do we need news 24/7? I’d like a return to morning, noon and night. That’s all we need and even that … Thx, G.
You’ve nailed this one, G. Here in N. California we’ve had a bit of a cold snap, yet still the daytime temps have rarely gone below 40 degrees. For all that, though, you’d think we’re living in the land of frozen tundra, given how much people are complaining about the cold. Having lived on the East Coast and in the Midwest, I know this would be like a warm spell in many parts of the country. But I blame our wimpy attitude about weather on the constant barrage of media. Weather used to just be, well, weather, but now it’s this 24/7 thing, always at our fingertips. And maybe we’ve all gotten so stupefied that we can’t think of anything more interesting to talk about than the weather. So here’s my good thing: I’m taking the day off tomorrow to brave the cold and go into SF for the Van Gogh/Gaugin exhibit. Yipee!
Hi Patty,
Have a fab day off in SF. Was there in the winter a few years back. Bought a hat, scarf and sweatshirt while on vaca and it was lovely! (so many great restaurants.) Love van Gogh and Gaugin. Glad you mention Gaugin. He left his stifling job to be a painter. That will be my next post. Risk takers. Thanks for planting the seed.
I agree with you about the 24/7 weather. People are afraid to make a move out of their homes without knowing the extended forecast. The constant minute-to-minute updates have transformed us into the 24/7 frightened.
Enjoy your day! G.