From Panic to Peace: A Winter's Journey

Well, for those of you who live in the Tri-State area, we are being bombarded with threats of a terrible blizzard-like storm approaching. The news and weather channels are having a field day trying to scare us all! Hurry up, run to the store now and buy everything you need, get your milk, eggs, and bread, make sure your car has gas, you have a shovel and plenty of salt to melt the ice! I became that person...not the person frantically making sure I get everything I need in a panic, but, sadly, I had to go shopping because I actually needed things. So, me, like an idiot, HAD to go to the grocery store yesterday, only because I was off from work and it was my only day to go. NOT because I am afraid of the pending snow storm, I did, in fact, need to go because I haven't in about 2 weeks! I had plenty of frozen meats and veggies folks, I cook every night, but I was out of, you guessed it, bread, milk and eggs and a long list of other things needed to run a home. 

So, out and about I go... First stop, believe it or not, I hit Lowes -  we threw our snow shovel out this Spring because it was broken. You guessed it, not a snow shovel to be found, but I got my salt! Whew! One thing done! Okay, off to the grocery store... This is a place I completely loathe on any given day! The parking lot was a mess, everyone and their mother was trying to park and no one has any courtesy or common sense. But, I scored. Then I accidentally turned down a lane just to get out of the way so traffic could flow, and then, "BAM!", a 3rd space spot hiding behind a large SUV!  Now, I need to find a friggin' quarter to get a carriage to put all my goodies in.

After digging deep into my purse I finally found one. Get the cart, get inside and this place is bustling with everyone freaking out over the storm. There was barely any bread, so Italian bread it is! Yum! Luckily we only drink organic milk and there was plenty of that, but the regular stuff wiped out! Eggs, only brown organic left, score again for me! I grabbed my necessities and things I needed like toothpaste and shampoo and tried as fast as I could to get the hell outta there. People were really frantic about this! It was like Hurricane Sandy was approaching all over again. People were actually arguing over cold cuts! Wowzers! I finally get checked out with a lot more stuff than I needed, but hell, I was there, might as well right? 

At this point in time, I have zero patience left and still need a shovel. I pass a local, small mom and pop hardware store, and low and behold, they have snow shovels! Another score for me! I head home with my purchases and am completely prepared for the snow! So as I sit here and type I realize that I was in fact one of those people I was complaining about; except I wasn't frantic or panicking about it.

Anyway, long story short, we may get a ton of snow and whiteout conditions and we may not get anything to speak of. We've had a very easy Winter thus far considering it's the end of January and this is the first snowfall we're getting. I'll take this over every week 3-6 annoying inches of the cold white stuff. Give it to us one good time and be done with it. We only have to shovel out once!

Whatever comes our way, be careful, don't leave your home unless you absolutely HAVE to, stay warm and be thankful; you just might get snowed in with the people you love. You may get snowed in alone, and that could be refreshing too! Look around at that beautiful white stuff, be grateful you have a roof over your head, enjoy the peace and quiet of it all and maybe learn something new about yourself. And when it's time to shovel out, have a snowball fight, make a snowman, remember what it was like to be a kid waiting for snow so you could play in it! Take a moment and find the beauty in the storm and enjoy the aftermath. 

-- Kristen