Joy? No. Gratitude? Getting There.

As I was walking the Iditarod trainees (aka Cooper and Shelby) yesterday down the neighborhood thoroughfare that is growing narrower due to plowed snow that has nowhere else to go, I wondered what would happen if I embraced winter and its polar vortex and its snowy glory with joy instead of with fatigue and annoyance. The thought of joy was foreign and fleeting, I have to admit. Pretty much beyond my imagination. I've gotten much better about not complaining about winter, because there is absolutely nothing to be gained by complaining, but I have voiced my weariness with the season.

Today, I was running the snow blower and doing snow clean-up for what seemed like the 100th time (in reality, it's probably closer to 15 or 20 times). I had to adjust the snow blower to blow as high as it could over the existing snow mountains and as I worked, I realized that while joy may be out of my reach, I can certainly find things to be grateful for during this season. I've been neglecting my gratitude journal, which is especially dicey for my mental well-being during the long, long winter as I know an intentional focus on gratitude helps my spirit and outlook and can help combat Winter Funkiness. So as I wrestled the snow blower over some ice and continued my snowy workout, I started to list things and situations I am grateful for that are directly related to this seemingly endless winter.

Forget Funky. Get Grateful. A Winter List of Thanksgiving

1. We have a snow blower.
2. That snow blower has an electric starter, alleviating my potential frustration of not always being strong enough to pull the cord hard enough to start it.
3. We have another snow blower. We inherited this one that I have yet to run because it lacks an electric starter. We thought about giving one of the snow blowers away (and tried) because although we live in Pennsylvania, it seemed excessive to have two, but the bigger one has been a great help in moving snow this year.
4. We don't have sidewalks to clear, just our front walkway.
5. We have able bodies with which to push aforementioned snow blowers and heave shoveled snow.
6. There are two of us, which means we can share the snow clean-up load and responsibility.
7. B has been safe commuting to and from work.
8. My commute does not require that the car leave the garage.
9. We have a garage, so our vehicles are not consistently out in the elements.
10. The dogs, while not always embracing the snow, seem to find ways to enjoy it. It's fun to watch them instinctively create paths for themselves in the snow and jump through the snow as if they are doing backyard moguls.
11. My mother resides in a retirement community where all snow removal activities are taken care of for her. We don't have to worry about her cleaning up snow or how to get over there to take care of it or hiring someone to do it. It's done.
12. Our furnace has been running like a champ this winter. It's the first winter that we have not had to have it serviced and every time I hear it kick on, I whisper my thanks.
13. We have not lost power throughout all these storms, even when neighborhoods close to us did.
14. My neighbor delivered our Girl Scout cookies today. OK, that has nothing to do with winter, but it was a day brightener.

I'm sure I could come up with more and probably should, but I have some web site copywriting to do, so I need to hit "publish" and move along. While I'm not joyous about winter and snow and polar vortexes, I am mining this season for all the reasons I can be grateful until the snow has melted, spring has arrived, and Winter Funkiness has headed for the hills - or wherever the next polar vortex is occurring.