Snow Time Like the Present: OMG
Given the hard, snowy winter we’re suffering here on the east coast, it’s not enough to ‘think spring’. I’m going right to ‘Summertime’ as interpreted by the great pianist Kenny Drew, Jr. with Peter washington on bass and Lewis Nash on drums. Feelin’ warmer already!
The big new snowfall here in Norwalk kept me from the gym yesterday. But I’m tough and toned from shoveling the endless inches/feet of snow that keep falling on us. Frustration abounds in the New York metro – and undoubtedly right up the I-95 corridor from south to north – from at least DC to Maine. We’re breaking all-time snow records.
The morning of the snow, all of my neighbors and my recent snow shoveling helper – a US army vet out of work, taking the initiative to earn some bucks helping people dig out – were on the street shortly after daylight. We overcame earlier confrontations over who was dumping snow on whose property in favor of attacking a mutual problem. Too much snow, too little room to put it.
It’s never really thawed since the first of the seven storms we’ve dealt with so far. It’s almost comical how high the snow piles are getting. I’m actually kind of proud of myself that I have the strength to heave heavy shovels-ful of water-laden snow up to the top of four-to-five-foot heaps. The regular exertion is taking away all guilt at solacing myself with ice cream for dessert.
Shared anxiety about weather-related set-backs is bleeding through to business communications. My clients, colleagues and I are doing our best to keep things moving forward, while sharing the human emotions around dealing with circumstances over which we have no control.
My team and I are very goal oriented and driven to complete client projects in a timely fashion. When obstructed from our goals –regardless of why – we suffer and so do our clients. Time is money –truly. So when projects are delayed for whatever reasons it costs us all.
Given that mind set, it’s a real adjustment to deal with an out-of-control winter. During the time I had mapped out to write website content for a client, I had to shovel snow before it turned to hard, unmovable ice. I left my Twitter and Linked In communities to join my real life social network – my neighbors — as we dealt with how to move tons of snow pushed across our driveways by snow plows and related issues — like where to put it. Yesterday the levels of frustration reached a point of hilarity. The only reasonable thing to do was to laugh together while we shoveled.
Today all that’s predicted is a fast-moving ‘Yankee Clipper’ system that will spray us with a dusting to an inch of snow – and hopefully that’s all. I got up extra early to make up for lost productivity. But I must admit that I enjoyed the snow-day atmosphere of this latest depressing storm.
How do you cope with what’s out of your control?
New PR Words - and Music! 
To me, the challenge is getting the “what’s in my control” piece right, at least most of the time. Some of us tend to quit too soon and miss places we could have had an impact; others stay in too long and burn precious resources beating their heads against things that they can’t really change. The Serenity Prayer is a terrific way to steer oneself through each day – but it’s the “wisdom to know the difference” piece that can often elude us, along with our serenity.
Dino B
January 28, 2011
By following your lead, thats how.
Sometimes it’s natural to feel overwhelmed – especially when the challenges pile higher… But as you so elegantly point out, it makes no sense missing out on rewarding, stimulating – even joyfully shared experiences that may be found even when the load is heavy.
Free will, as you clearly recognize, allows up to show up in the “present” moment, enjoying the gift of life.
If we “just Smile….”
Love your melodies!
Jeffrey Levine
February 1, 2011