Bundle Up

Prepare for life as we do for a snowy drive

 

 

This new year is racing by. I am working to make friends with winter.  The snow and ice demand a long list of “bundling up”: hat, scarf, gloves, heavy coat, boots and a determination to win the battle.  Here in the Midwest, we go out no matter what the snow says.  We even find ourselves helping other people push out of a snowbank or brush off each other’s frozen vehicles. 

 

We battle against the weather like a fierce warrior goes out to slay the dragon.  I smile as I think of myself in battle against the snow.  I am fortunate to live where there are snowplows driving at all hours of the night, clearing a path for me. 

 

The wintery snow and blowing winds gives us something to overcome. To push against. To grow stronger in the effort. 

 

And yet, when I face other battles in my life, I often feel defeated immediately.  It seems I am not equipped, confused and “not enough”.  My mind creates versions of failure that range from embarrassment to being kicked out completely. 

 

Could it be that the interior battles demand another version of my “bundle-up”?  Do I expect to face a snowstorm in a swimsuit?  Where is my heavy coat of courage?  Where are my protective boots for standing firm?  What do I expect life to deliver an easy drive?  And if it doesn’t, somehow, I am no longer going out?  I am defeated and sitting down? Why do I see myself standing in the path of the snowplow, ready to be knocked aside into the snowbank?  Where am I looking for someone else to clear my path and then wasting precious time complaining? 

 

Yes, there are times to ask for help.  To know we can’t push the car out by ourselves.  To rally the troops and work as one. 

 

Yet friend, can we look at the weather of our lives and decide to face it with a determined spirit?  Can I set my mind to be determined that I can face what my day brings and grow stronger from the process? 

 

Just as in pushing the car out, what if there is the possibility of a good outcome?  What if I decide I will learn and grow even if I do land in a snowbank? 

 

Recently, I slid on the ice.  I saw two cars with flashers on, and realized they had collided.  As I saw this, I felt my car start to slide so I turned my car toward the snowbank to avoid hitting them.  It was unsettling to slide, and yet I knew I could guide myself to safety.  Something in me took hold. I did not panic.  It worked out okay.  And I was able to get myself out and be on my way. 

 

Can I apply my winter preparation and driving skills to my life?  Could I “bundle up’ in determination to meet whatever is coming today?  What if I knew I had faced icy streets and blowing winds before and succeeded? 

 

Then there are times when we have a difficult outcome. Many of us have found ourselves in painful snowy situations.  A few years ago, my car started spinning from an icy spot and hit the wall of the freeway.  My bumper flew straight up into the air and came down right in front of me. Miraculously, it did not land in the lanes of traffic.  That memory of the wall coming at me was a brutal bruise on my mind and heart.  Sometimes we are damaged in the battle, and the fear of it happening again is a painful as the bruises from the impact.  I have slowly healed. Many of us are slowly healing from the violent impact of life.  During these times we can be gentle with ourselves in our tender areas.  It may take a little time to face the same snowy trials.  We may need extra support. 

 

Could those few moments of sliding and the painful impact become smaller in my mind?  Could I bundle up with thoughts of all the times (years) I faced the snow and frozen roads and had a good outcome?  Am I willing to decide I will face each circumstance by “bundling up” my thoughts and believing for a good outcome?  Can I let the moments of pain fade and remember all the successful times and build on those and the pain subsides? 

 

Can I train myself to prepare for my everyday life with tools of hope and know I am approaching my road of life with a determination to get stronger in the process? 

 

I am encouraged by this!  I can look for what I need and clothe myself in preparation for my day.  I can expect to find what I need and build support in my mind and heart to move forward in this snowy drive of my mind. 

 

Where does my determination come from?  I could access my strong, wild Welsh background or my first-born attitude, but the main source is a deep faith that is grounded in love. Roots of love go deep and provide a solid base of love and forgiveness that allows me to believe i have a purpose and a protection that is beyond my own strength. 

 

 

Let’s gather up the hat, scarf and gloves that allow us to think, protect and hold on in our day today.  Let’s put on our warm coat of determination and our boots for steady steps to walk forward, pressing in to get stronger. 

 

As we trust in a good outcome, may we know we are “bundled up” for the task of living.  We will press on and train ourselves to be wise drivers on the slippery, snowy path of life.   The snowplows are working and I can do my part to face my storms and slippery places. Let’s bundle up in our minds and hearts today.  And if I see you in the snowbank, I will stop and push with you. 

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