Baby it's cold outside

With a winter weather advisory, and a storm bearing down on us here in Southern Ontario, I'm thinking that it's as good a time to just stay put, and do nothing.

There will always be that To-Do list waiting for us. We always have something to do, and our lives get so busy and hectic, that sometimes, something like a really bad snow storm that keeps us at home is the perfect thing. It forces us to stop. To just stop, and take a breather, and take a bit of a rest from the busy-ness of life.

Winter tends to slow us down in a lot of ways. We drive slower, or, we should. We walk with more care because we don't want to slip and fall, we tend to wonder about our neighbours more, we check in with family to make sure everyone is safe and warm. We might spend the day catching up on emails, or cleaning, or mending, or a hobby that we may have forgotten how much we enjoy, or we may simply rest. Things we should be doing regularly, but life gets in the way. A snow day sometimes is the best thing for us, even if it means missing a day of work or school.

A snow day is a good day to help out our neighbours who might not be capable of shoveling their walkway, or driveway. It's a good day to check in on elderly neighbours, and maybe offer to make a cup of hot chocolate for them, or just visit for a few minutes. It's a good day to call those people that you love and miss, yet life and work and school and obligations keep us from making those calls, sending those texts or emails, or staying in contact.

It's a good day to catch up on some reading, or journaling, or your favourite series on Netflix. It's a good day to reflect, to relax and rest, and to replenish. There's no sense in worrying about the weather, and all the things that need to be done. Those things will be waiting for us all the time, so if you're house-bound because of the weather, you may as well make the most of it - by doing nothing. Try it! You may like it enough to hope for the legendary Second Snow Day.

Stay safe. Stay warm. Stay beYOUtiful.

Joanne Gale