Burdened or Beautiful?

We have had a strange winter here in Minnesota. Warmer than typical. Very little snow and it melts within days. Last year we broke records for the amount of snow that fell. This year, the records being broken are the daily temperature highs.

Last night, several inches of snow fell. I was just out shoveling our driveway, a task I have always enjoyed. Being in Nature, absorbing early morning quiet, further insulated by the snow. I took a few grateful pauses, appreciating being physically able to do this job.

Mother Nature created some beautiful art over several hours and with those several inches of snow.

Trees and trail pristine and captured in a blanket no human could ever create. Are these trees and this area of land burdened or beautiful? It leads me to this ramble . . .

The trees didn’t ask for the snow, but they are handling it well. They will take care of themselves as the day turns to light and the temperatures rise. The burden will fall, but so will some of the beauty. Heavier and more snow along with a stiff breeze, and damage may have been done. That happens sometimes. Not today.

How do I handle the things I don’t ask for but that come along in my life? Some are burdens. Others are boosters. Do I bring patience and acceptance to the burdens, or denial and defiance? Do I lighten or heighten the unwelcome? Like shoveling snow, relieving the burden will require energy. What kind of energy will I apply?

Then there’s the beautiful. The gifts I also don’t ask for, but that come my way daily. How do I make space for them and let them create the joy they carry? Do I discover or diminish their full potential?

The trees and trails don’t have a choice. You and I do. What mindset and type of energy will we choose?