At Least I'm Breathing

1. You can never have too much tea.
2. Remember important meetings.
3. Don't scare someone awake - it's not nice.
4. At least you're still breathing.

Today was a struggle. I woke up at 7:15, ended up hitting my snooze and waking up later than wanted. I ran a few errands during the afternoon, but in order to do so, I needed a car...which was covered in 3 inches of snow. I didn't have a brush to get the snow off - I was intending on getting one while I was running errands - so I ended up covered in snow, sopping wet. The roads were quite slippery, which made for a terrible and terrifying driving experience. I nearly locked myself out of my car and I forgot my debit card in my car while I was shopping and didn't realize it until I was checking out. I also forgot I had a meeting for one of my plays I'm in and it lasted longer than I wanted it to.

It's been a rough day. Plus I keep on running into things and in the past few hours, I've slowly started to feel overwhelmed. I am in two plays, trying to get a job (which I need to volunteer for a bit before I'm hired), and oh, I am still a student.

But at least I'm still breathing.

I stopped at home for about an hour and a half today just to relax and drop a few things off. I forgot something in my car and I told myself, "Gah! Everything is going wrong!" But as I was running to my car, I started to list off everything that went right. I woke up - that's a miracle. I had food to eat and I got two meals before 10:30am. I was able to spend a few hours at home. And the best of all - I'm breathing. I am able to fill my lungs with air and feel myself living for just a moment.

After such a rough day, I can't help but laugh at myself. I have so much to be thankful for, even if nothing seems to be going right. So when you're having a rough day, just remember everything that went right.

And at least you're still breathing.

Megan's note to me and someone drew an illustration of it.

Peace!

-Nicole

Snow

1. Early bird gets the washing machine (or 4).
2. Don't get too frustrated when you can't think of anything to write for a blog post.
3. Be tackled into the snow.
4. Snow is absolutely wonderful.

I hate winter. I hate how wet, dirty, freezing, horrible-driving weather and especially because of where I live, it never seems to end. Plus, I thrive off of sunlight. The more sun there is, the happier I am. I absolutely hate winter.

But I love snow.

A snowy world.

I love the way it sounds underneath my shoes. I love how it covers the trees. I love how lights look when the snow is falling. I love how it makes slip every once in a while, like it's reminding me to stay in the moment and watch where I'm going. More than anything, I love how it covers everything in a blanket.

Think about it - snow is the only type of weather that covers everything in a blanket of anything. Rain washes things clean, sun warms the skin, wind shakes things up...snow is the only thing that covers something in order to allow for change to happen. Underneath the snow, things are shift, changing, moving, growing, dying. After winter, the earth is slightly different than before.

Not only does the earth itself change, but we change with it. Underneath a snowy sky, we discover things about ourselves in the world. I thrive in the sun, but winter allows me to be more pensive and see the world in a different light (literally and figuratively).

Looks a bit like Narnia.

Underneath a blanket of snow, things are a bit more close and change happens without much notice. After the snow melts, things bloom and change is truly seen...but sometimes we need blanket of snow, or some sort of protection, to allow things to get ready for spring.

Be tackled into a pile of snow and have laughing fits as a a snowball hits in you in the back. Keep on trudging through the snow. Allow yourself to slip every once in a while. Enjoy the white earth. And love spring even more when it comes.

Peace!

-Nicole