A simple cell phone photo capturing a routine event. Well, somewhat routine. The fact is we usually either get no snow or ice. Just snow without ice, earthquakes, tornadoes, or wayward tigers is a bit odd for Oklahoma. That’s the joke anyway, even if it isn’t that far from the truth. Yet, something about this frozen birdbath caught my eye on this morning. I am always amazed at nature’s black and white imagery, but that wasn’t the reason I stepped out on the porch in slippers to snap this shot.
Simply Frozen
In many ways, I find myself frozen in a routine. Wake up, work, hobby for a bit, then sleep. Change it up a bit on the weekends just to prove I am alive. Nothing can shift me from this routine. Only within the routine do I see changes. A different set of projects at work or a different thing to paint in the evenings tends to be as crazy as things get. And, to be fair, I am okay with that. But, faced with opportunity to really change things up, it is clear that the change is really just more of the same in a different guise. I am frozen in this routine.
Comforting Blankets
Part of the magic of a fresh-fallen snow is how it covers the imperfections in the landscape. Instead of that odd hole a dog dug in the yard, you have a slight dip in the blanket of snow. Everything looks clean and fresh. This frozen scene may not be to your liking, but it still pulls you in, almost forcing you to look out upon it. There is a comfort in knowing that all the ugly, day-to-day stuff can be hidden from view, even if only until things heat up a bit.
Time is Short
And it is that very frozen, very temporal scene that reminds us that time is short. Those imperfections, those unfinished tasks? They are all still there. As the clock continues to tick and the sun begins to peer through the clouds and melt away the blanket of snow, we realize our window to clean things up before the ugliness beneath is revealed is closing fast. Whatever that thing is you are hoping to do? Do it now before someone points out all the obstacles in your path. Do it now before you start cataloging the hurdles all on your own.
Don’t let unfinished dreams outlast the snow. Act on them before they, too, start to melt away.
