Finally! Some fresh air and clean lungs! After a week of mornings in the barn brushing and clipping cows and preparing them for the classifier, a beautiful Wednesday morning allowed for some much-needed outdoor time with my littler farmer. A chance to clear my head and recharge.
At first he wasn’t too happy about not being able to go to work with daddy, but he came around once we started making footprints in the fresh powder. Sometimes doing things with mommy can be fun too! The ‘To Do’ list today told me I was supposed to go run errands, but when the big fluffy snowflakes let up and the sun and blue sky came out, I realized town can wait. As eager as I am for spring to come, we didn’t get too many of these perfect winter days this winter, so we still need to take advantage of them!
With our snowsuits on, the toboggan back in tip top shape thanks to the best Grandpa, and snowshoes in hand, off we went to find our favourite trails through the bush. The snow hill was our destination, but we took the scenic route to get there. For the last three winters I’ve made the same tracks through the same bush, with the same tiny human, in the same old sleigh. Yet every time we go it’s a new experience. The load gets heavier each year and the adventure is different depending on the day.
Now that my munchkin is more independent, the trip tends to take a little longer, because he likes to make his own tracks. It’s the perfect way to slow myself down and look at the world through his eyes. To see the sparkle in them, as he giggles at the snow I shake from a branch into his face. We listen to the birds and try to tweet back at them, but his much more aggressive whistling tends to scare them off. Sometimes we see animal tracks, but other times it’s simply the beautiful glitter of a fresh layer of snow. No trip is the same and that’s just the way we like it.
After some fun sliding down the hill on his new toboggan, it’s time to warm up in the shop and get to work at his sand table. Which of course means I’m heading home alone – the perfect opportunity to get some quick cleaning done while the house is empty. But, I was not ready to let go of the peacefulness this beautiful day had returned to my soul, so instead I laid down on the sparkling white blanket and made a snow angel. I shut my eyes and listened to the drip, drip, drip, swoosh, of the snow melting and falling off the house. To the geese across the road and the cars in the distance. I did my best to keep my brained turned off to the 500 other things on my mind and focused simply on my senses.
I have never been very good at meditating, or even truly believing it works – even with my psychology background – but today I was reminded of how important turning your brain off can be for your mental health. It may only last a second or two, but every bit counts. I was back and forth every minute or so, but for a solid five minutes I tried to focus on just my breathing and the warmth of the sun on my face. That’s a long time for someone with a busy brain like me! It was enough to recharge and prepare myself to take on the rest of the day with a new energy and positive attitude.
We often get caught up with the stresses of life. We have too many things on our mind and on our to-do lists. We’re constantly in a rush to get everything done and this often leads to negative words and thoughts, people getting hurt and things breaking. We may not mean what we say to people in the heat of a moment, but that still doesn’t make it okay.
We should all try to be aware of when we’re pushing ourselves too hard and make the time to pause and shut our brain off for a moment. Close your eyes, breath in, breath out, take a quick cat nap or walk away from a situation to cool off. Whatever works best for you to give yourself a chance to refresh, so you can tackle your tasks with a calmer and more positive attitude. The simplest of actions can sometimes completely change the direction of the day for yourself and those around you!
