by Michael Harrison

Created on: June 21, 2008

Snow Angels

It's amazing how viewing life from a childs eyes can change your perspective. I don't know if it's that we can't remember how to, or if it's just that we spend more of our lives fretting over small problems that it has become impossible. My children are a constant reminder that no matter how bad things can get, you can aleviate the pressure with a little silliness and nonsense.

The holiday season is that time of year that can create stress levels that even the greatest Zen masters could not defeat. You have to get your shopping done, planning meals, attending school functions with your children, relatives coming to visit and on and on. This coupled with the everyday tensions of going to work and paying the bills. At some point the frustration builds to a point that exhausts you to your limits. Hot showers or long soaking baths do nothing for you. A relaxing glass of wine in front of a cozy fire won't help. The quiet and calm only enable you to stress out more because having nothing to focus on lets you start going over your mental checklist that isn't complete. This is the point where we need to change our perspective. Not because it will make all the problems solve themselves or make them go away, but because it will enable you to put it all aside for a few precious moments and let you relax. If that perspective is from your childs point of view, people this is the jackpot you have been waiting for.
About five years ago we were in the middle of the holiday turmoil. As usual, I was letting the pressure get to me. I couldn't make myself relax if my life depended on it. I had had a particularly bad day at work and wasn't in the mood for anything except going home and plopping down on the sofa and getting to the state of potato. It wouldn't be relaxing, it just wouldn't be what I was doing at the moment. Late in the afternoon it had started snowing. The first thing that popped into my head was 'great, now the roads are gonna get screwed up making the drive home even longer', we don't get snow that often around here so when we do it fouls up everything. Another hurdle I didn't want to deal with.
Finally, quitting time comes around. As expected the snow had traffic screwed up to perfection, so I got to add 45 minutes to my commute. I get over to my in-laws to pick up the kids, okay I was almost done. I checked to make sure we had everything, my son was out of diapers. Great, something else to keep me from getting home, now we have to stop at the store

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