Winter: Good or Bad? A Matter of Perspective

Starting this past Friday afternoon, most parts of Ontario, Quebec, and Eastern Canada received another huge dose of "the white stuff" - otherwise known as snow. 

Some parts of Ontario received as many as 45 centimetres (almost 18 inches) of new snow.  Where I live in the Toronto area, the media are reporting that this latest storm puts us into near record territory.  We have not received this much snow since the winter of 1938-39 (207.4cm), and as of 8:30pm Saturday night we were within 12.2cm of breaking that record. 

Here's the sad part about all of this.  For many people - especially urban dwellers - when they think of winter, they think of this:

 

 

 

 

 

What I've mostly heard from people is complaints.  "I'm sick of winter".  "This sucks".  "This is an awful storm", claimed a newswoman last night.  "Says who?", I say.  To be fair, this is part of winter.  There is a "hassle factor" from a logistical standpoint for all kinds of activities related to the business of life. 

While what I describe above is true, like anything in life, there are many sides to winter.  Winter is also this:

 

 

 

 

 

My wife and I went out for a walk during the snowstorm yesterday.  If you dress up properly, it's beautiful.  And today, I've been out walking the snow-covered streets and enjoying the gorgeous sunshine and blanket of white. 

As I often say to myself or to others when we're facing a challenge, we don't get to choose what life gives us; we only get to choose how we respond.  Sometimes it takes a while to turn my perspective around, but I always try to remember: I'm doing the time anyway, so do I want to enjoy it, or hate it? 

So, my invitation to you is to choose. 

Choose which part you want to focus your energy and attention on.  And not just for a winter storm, but for anything in life.