Living Vicariously

Winter has arrived. I woke this morning to the sound of ice tapping at the bedroom window. It sounded cold and gusty outside. I sat on the edge of the bed for two minutes, as I usually do each morning. I take this time to transition between sleep and "awake". During this time I process the ends of dreams before they are forgotten or take stock of what I'd like to accomplish during the day. This morning I just sat in the dark grey and listened.

It sounded beautiful. Over the tapping and blowing I could hear L. and E. in their rooms, singing, chattering, both in wonderful moods. Once my moment of reflection was over I jumped up and went in to pull back their drapes so that they could see their world's transformation. Wow, its really something to be able to experience their enthusiasm for winter. As adult, I think of the drudgery of winter more often then the splendor of it.

Christmas is much the same. When I first hear the "days till" count down I just shake my head and say it's too soon. Bah humbug. I actually hate shopping so Christmas feels like work. I get to be reminded what Christmas is actually about when I hear L. singing "Jingle Bells" and "Frosty the Snowman" in his perfect broken articulation. For them Santa is the best thing next to sliced bread with peanut butter.

So today, once the rain stops. This old little girl is going to put on her coat and hat and roll around in the fluffy white stuff with her kids. Perhaps she'll grow up long enough to shovel the driveway.