It’s a snow day today. Well, I guess, technically it’s an ice day because we got a bunch of rain and sleet yesterday before the temperature plummeted overnight. Our cul-de-sac looks like a skating pond.
Anyway, with no school, I’ve been cooped up in the house all day with two girls who have way too much energy for their own good. Pretty much all day they’ve been bouncing off the walls and driving me bonkers. The roads are quite slick and more snow is falling, so I know that leaving to run errands would be a treacherous venture. Blech.
As cabin fever started to set in big time, I started to get that anxious-frustrated-depressed feeling that comes from spending too many consecutive days indoors while my ever-growing “to-do” list threatens to spiral out of control. Winter in Wisconsin is not for the faint of heart, people!
I decided that maybe some housecleaning would take my mind off the weather, so I began to tackle the long-neglected chore of dusting our master bedroom. It was there I came across a wall hanging that used to belong to my grandparents. On it is a Bible verse that was read at our wedding, from the third chapter of Ecclesiastes:
“To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under Heaven.”
It was the word “season” that stopped me cold. Yep, I get it – this is the winter season. Literally. It is the time for ice and snow. It is the time to be cooped up indoors. It is time for schools to close due to bad weather and worse roads.
Amid my dusting, I smiled and my frustrations melted. Today is not a day to run errands. Today is not the day to worry about completing my to-do list or making those returns or even getting groceries. Today is a day to embrace the indoors and enjoy all that a snow day has to offer.
It was just about a year ago that I started down this path toward becoming a published novelist. I never could’ve finished the rough draft of FINDING SETH in six weeks if not for the crappy Wisconsin weather. It was during those long hours, curled up on my couch with my laptop in front of our beautiful fireplace, that I wrote all those words. I never would’ve been disciplined enough to do it, had the weather outside been sunny and 70s.
This winter, I’m redoubling my efforts. Not only am I still putting the final polish on SETH, I’m also tackling two new manuscripts. I’ve also got blog posts to write, freelancing assignments to complete and endless amounts of research to do on literary agents. All this in addition to being a full-time wife and mother. I should be grateful that the roads are awful!
So I’m saying a grateful prayer to God and my grandparents for putting that reminder message in front of me today. And I’m going to make some hot cocoa for my squirrely daughters when we watch a DVD later. But for now, I’m going to turn on the fireplace and cozy up with my laptop as I re-enter the world of Lola, Paul, Iris and Seth. And with gratitude in my heart and the snow softly falling outside, I’m going to say thank you to YOU, dear readers, for slip-sliding along with me on this incredible journey. Now stay warm out there everyone!