Sometimes you miss out when you just sit and watch
Comments (...)The snow was blowing every direction.
Up, down, left, then right, at a horrific pace. The biting wind made dreams of hot chocolate dance through my head. I cranked the heat up in the car as I waited for the bus to pull up to our driveway.
Soon, in the distance, I noticed the telltale flashing of yellow lights. The bus slowed and cautiously came to a complete stop. The age-old tradition of bifold doors opening and children bounding down the steps played out right before my eyes.
Cody raced to the car with a smile that could defrost even the coldest of hearts. He tossed his backpack into the car and plopped on the seat and greeted me with a hardy, “Let’s go!”
You see, in the eyes of a child, there is no greater joy in the wintertime than the falling of fresh snow. It is an experience that can only be rivaled by such traditions as Christmas morning. The love of fresh snow surpasses the cold, wet, and general nauseous feeling that it gives most adults.
As we pulled back up to the house, the little guy was out and into the entryway before I could even shut my door. With superhero speed he shred the school stuff and soon he was wearing every puffy and overstuffed piece of clothing that we had. I found this changing act quite amazing considering most days it’s a painful ordeal for him to get ready to go somewhere.
I stood in the living room and watched out the window as Cody raced his sled down the hill shrieking with joy. The swirling snow made it hard to see him sometimes, but he was as comfortable and oblivious to the weather as a 10-year old could be. Part of me was tempted to don the heavy clothes and join him, wishing that I could regain that youthful exuberance I once had. Then another gust of wind shook the windows so I stayed right where I was.
Later that weekend, as the weather warmed and the snow melted, I was reminded of something by a friend at church. We were standing and talking before service and listening to those that were coming in. Lots of folks were happy to see the white stuff melt and were mentioning different things about how terrible Thursday and Friday were.
Then my friend mentioned to one of them, “When you were a kid you loved the snow.”
He was absolutely right. We all loved the snow when we were little. Some of my best childhood memories involve snow forts and snowball fights, not the mention the occasional “face washing.”
We always are talking as a modern society on how to get children outdoors more often and spend less time plugged in to computers and video games. The news is full of stories about childhood obesity and the problems sedentary kids face. We struggle to get them off the couch and outside.
On those couple of days this last week kids took to the outdoors by the thousands. They didn’t need to be coaxed by the allusion of some organized event. They didn’t need to be bribed to spend some quality time outside. They voluntarily scampered into the outdoors to do what they do best-be kids. Mother Nature seems to be losing out to the power of electronics. Every once in a while though, she can deliver a little outdoor gift that creates joy and happiness for children everywhere. The secret for us, as adults, is to capture that same joy that we lost somewhere in the growing up process.
I didn’t take the time during this last snow to go out and play with my kids. Looking back now I regret it. I disguised my lack of enthusiasm with lame excuses of things that I needed to do. Would it really have changed my life if I put the “to do” list on the back burned for a few minutes and joined my children and their raw, unaltered love for the snow?
Yes, I guess it would have changed my life. It would have made it fuller and more purposeful. The next significant snowfall we have I will get outdoors and enjoy what nature provides us.
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