Day 3 – Snow Day!
For those of you in the New York area, today, Day 3 of the 28 Day Meditation Challenge is a day where 6 to 10 inches of beautiful, puffy white snow is falling. Most schools and activities have been cancelled for my kids, and the day has transformed from a busy one full of things to do and places to be, to a day to stay home and relax, to read, play and enjoy being together. Just yesterday, I wrote about how I was getting ready for a very busy week ahead. I was strategizing how to use my meditation practice to remain calm and focused while working through my long “to do” list on Monday morning. How I love the unpredictability of life . . . a snow day . . . . and I didn’t even know snow was in the forecast.
The upside of a snow day . . . . it allows me and my children the opportunity to hit the PAUSE button. Snow days are the perfect time for them to stop, breathe and abandon their all-too-busy schedules for a day to play in the snow, to read a book, to cook with mom, to sleep in, and to just be.
The challenge of a snow day . . . as all of you parents home with your kids know, snow days do not come without their own challenges (chaos in the kitchen, teenagers glued to their technology and kids begging to make plans with their friends). We always want to clear our children’s schedules, and once we do, we often recognize that routine and schedules can be a very good thing. The real goal, as always, is to be fully present – not planning for tomorrow or using this time to add to my list of things to do -- but to enjoy this wave of downtime, of togetherness and to take a moment or two throughout the day to watch the beautiful, white snow falling outside my window, which is always a powerful reminder of the beauty around us and the importance of being fully present to enjoy it while it lasts.
The snow day really helps me to recognize again exactly what mindfulness and meditation can help us with most. It helps us to ride the waves, the ups and the downs, the highs and the lows, the unexpected change of plans, and the full range of emotions we experience along the way. We learn to enjoy what is right before us, not think about what was supposed to be, or could have been or what will never be, but accept what is. We tap in to our inner “OK-ness,” the amazing ability to recognize that we are going to be OK, whatever the situation, connecting to our inner strength and inner peace to face whatever life brings our way each day.
Happy Snow Day!!
