Wow... What A Blizzard!!!

This one's for me... feel free to read it and all, but I just need to write to think about things from a different perspective. I have been thinking about writing this post for about a week and a half now and today... I need it.
It's winter, it's freezing, and any precipitation comes as snow these days. Today the snow was very light and airy, the other night it was nice to look at but not fun to be in, and a couple of weeks ago... when this blog post was born in my mind... there was a huge blizzard. It was the worst snow I have ever been in. I'm going to liken the snowfall to the troubles and trials that befall us as often as a winter's snow. Some trials, hardships, and problems are not very bad at all. Sometimes they are barely even noticeable, nothing more than an annoyance, like a light wispy snow that brushes by for an hour and is then easily forgotten. Others are uncomfortable and very unpleasant at the time, but the instant you are directly removed from them they are not a big deal at all and can even be looked at as a beautiful thing in life. Still others linger for days, even weeks, slick on the ground and threatening your footing at every step. These ones don't let you forget about them quickly, they can hurt, and they just don't seem to ever go away. Eventually though, they do and they become just a part of life that you remember as having happened and thank God for getting you through to the other side. Then there is the blizzard. The snow that might start out as a flurry, or might be something you can see coming at you like a white wall wiping everything you know out of its place. However it starts, it is the magnitude of it while in the middle that distinguishes it. It is all around you darkening the sky, making the cold air hurt to breathe, and making every step and every turn very potentially dangerous... especially if you are in a car trying to get somewhere that can provide safety. The hazard then in a slide or a slip of a person close to you can be devastating or fatal. It is a scary situation to be in and one that demands humility in exchange for safety. Where am I going with this you may wonder? Well, I had a unique moment that put things into a new perspective.
A couple of weeks ago I was in Arizona enjoying the 75 degree winter temperatures, but excited to come back to the snow covered ground only 600 miles to the north. The trip was delightful in many ways but, as all trips must eventually end, soon the day came that it was time to return home. That particular Arizona day was rainy, but not cold. The sky was gray and it was impossible to tell where the sun was. On the way to the airport people were driving more slowly, being more cautious, aware of the slick roads and lessened visibility. I, being used to driving in worse weather, didn't acknowledge it much at all until my brother mentioned he was texting his wife his Last Will and Testament, and that because of it I was to not speak for a few minutes. Oh, my brother. :o) Not long afterward I boarded the plane, and as it leaped into the sky I was not at all concerned by the bit of turbulence I felt. I had experienced more violent storms in the sky and this was nothing to be concerned with. We climbed higher and higher and then broke through the clouds. I was amazed at the beautiful blue sky I was looking at. Sure, there were clouds below, but they were below and had no effect on the brightness of the day I saw. Where the light hit the tufts, the clouds were bright, and brilliant white. It was easy to disregard the darkness of the shadows for the brilliance all around them. I always love to see the clouds from the top and this sea of white was certainly no exception. The sun shone brightly and it came through the windows warming my skin with it's touch. The sun illuminated everything and gave what it touched a glow that made it seem more alive. I noticed that my cares of earlier in the day had dissipated and now they were far behind me now and far below as well. The day continued and I watched as the sun got closer and closer to the horizon of clouds. It was beautiful as it started to cast hues slightly more golden than the bright white. I enjoyed it immensely. Then the pilot indicated we would be starting our descent. I saw only the sky and it's blue, with the sun and its warmth falling onto the gentle white of the clouds below. Then, we entered the clouds. The plane shook, though not dangerously. The clouds were dark around us and it looked as though it were nighttime already. I could see as the snow turned to slush and streaked it's way across the windows. But that was all I could see. I was surprised at the contrast from what I had been experiencing only moments before. As we descended it got darker and darker and there was more and more turbulence. There was talk earlier of the plane having to go on to better weather and wait out the storm. I hoped we wouldn't have to. I was relieved not to hear that news as we got closer and closer to the airport. This darkness and stormy weather was so sudden and in such contrast that it hardly seemed real. As we continued our descent I wished I could tell everyone in the storm below that this blizzard was just a farce born of perspective. The day was really gorgeous, the sun was shining brightly, the sky was the perfect shade of clear blue. This day was peaceful, and the only clouds in the sky were harmless, beautiful things. It was only because they could not now see it that they didn't marvel as I had about the beauty and perfection of the day. As we landed there were many comments about the wind blowing sideways to indicate the horizon we could not see, the workers struggling against the winds, the blackness that didn't let us see what was not illuminated directly. I got off the plane and felt the gusts of sharp, frozen air. I was unprepared for this. I had on a thin t-shirt and a light jacket... more than enough when I got on the plane. I put more layers on, gathered my luggage and went out into the night. Well, that was the funny thing about it... it wasn't night, it only looked to be. A mere 30 thousand feet above me was a bright and beautiful day. Just 600 miles away there was no snow, only a reasonably mild rain. This that I was now experiencing seemed to be just that. Just something I was experiencing... not the way it was. It made me think... all these people bustling about grumbling about the cold bitter wind, and the dangerous roads, and the blinding snow were all correct in their view of what was going on around them. They were experiencing that, and so was I. There were people in Arizona doing the same grumbling about the inconveniences of the rain. I knew though that the day above the clouds, the gorgeous perfection of the day outside these bubbles of experiences, was correct too. So, because I could see it, I could choose to focus on which ever one I wanted to. I could have complacency the attitude of a drizzly dark day of rain, misery in the wretched blizzard I had so suddenly dropped into, or joy in the beauty of the clear day that covered both rain and snow. All three were simultaneously happening. In the course of life we have tough moments, bad days, general downturns, and catastrophe's that rock our very core. During each of those life experiences there is an alternate view we can focus on if we but choose to recognise that it is there too. Regardless of the storms of our winters, the springs will come. Winter will come again too, and then be followed by spring. Storms will come along often and vary in the ways they affect us, but covering every storm is a bright, clear blue sky, with a warm shining sun, and a sea of bright white clouds. So, as I now contemplate the unexpected storm, whose duration and discomfort seems all to sudden for its intensity, I can see that I have a choice. I can choose now to see the bright blue sky outside this storm, and know that the discomfort is not all there is. This storm is not going to hurt in any way when spring arrives. In looking back on it in even a few short months I will remember that there was a storm, but I will not feel its sting. In years I will not remember that the storm ever happened... except maybe when I read this. Even then, I'm sure I will not remember the specifics of it. So, yes, it's cold, bitter, uncomfortable, and I don't like it a bit, but it's ok... it's just a blizzard.