Here in the South, snow is a novelty. So when those white flakes start falling, we all rush outside and ooh and awe at how beautiful it is. Some of us brave the temperatures and make snowmen that just might measure 8 inches tall, if we are lucky. Some grab their camera to make visual memories. And some of us head back inside, throw another log on the fire (or turn the heat up) and snuggle under a blanket with a good movie or book.
Unfortunately, we really don’t know how to deal with it when we are presented with the backlash snow can create. Busted water pipes. Power outages. Black ice that causes our vehicles to slip, slide, and careen into a ditch – or worse yet, cause a fatality.
There are times in our lives when Trouble fall upon us like a blanket of snow. At first, we just stare at it like it is some foreign anomaly. All we are able to see is Trouble as far as the eye can see. We want to turn around and close the door so it won’t follow us, but it still slips in through the cracks. We can’t find our way out; we look for someone else to ‘fix it’; blame someone or something else; we paralyze ourselves with fear.
When Trouble strikes, maybe we should stop for a moment and look around us. Are we missing some vital detail that could help us find our way out? The beauty of the snow is that, once we have seen the big picture, we start to notice little things that have been beyond our sight on clear days. There is a possibility that Trouble is the same way.
Once Trouble has fallen, take time to start looking for the details. Just because any other day it might look like a forest, the Trouble may end up highlighting the trees and a natural path out of the woods. It could be that if you look closely enough, you may see the faint outlines of a trail others who have had the same problems have traveled.
As you are trying to find your way out, the Trouble may also highlight other pitfalls, such as a swamp that may, at any other time, look like solid ground. It shows you the way not to travel, but allows you time to find a different road.
And sometimes, we make more of the Trouble than it really is. If we stop and think about it, we might just figure out that if we give it a day or two, all the problems may just melt away. We have weighed ourselves down with unnecessary worry and fear, and exhausted ourselves trying to find a way out without really taking the time to make a game plan.
Or, we can just take it in stride, trudge our way through the snow, and hope that someone else who has blazed the trail left us a sign that says: Trouble is always with us, we just need to accept it, deal with it, have a beer, then head into the house and grab a blanket and a good book.
Note: I DID NOT leave that bottle in the tree! While I was out taking photos, my eye caught a blur of blue. Against the otherwise gray and white background, I just had to stop and see what it was. Either someone has a great sense of humor, or a great aim!
