I like to think of myself as someone who doesn’t let the weather interfere with my plans. When a friend or loved one tries to back out of a planned event or won’t commit to something because “it might rain”, ” let’s see what the weather looks like”, or it is “supposed to be really cold” I like to say I don’t melt and get them to try to see things my way! At times, my honey has to remind me of this as well!
I live in the Finger Lakes Region of New York State and it is freaking cold in the winter. I have been bundling up with so many layers that I can barely move. Fenway seriously doesn’t melt and doesn’t care what the weather is, she just wants to go on her walks and sniff her way through the neighborhood! She is not an obligation but a celebration and I cherish my time with her.
It has been in the teens in the morning and in the 20’s during the day. Occasionally the thermometer inches past 30 degrees as the high for the day. If it wasn’t for the dog, I might not get off of the couch. The kids in my neighborhood are out in the cold every day. It is like they are immune to the temperature. The are riding their bikes, playing hockey and shooting hoops. I have one word for them and that is CRAZY! No, really my word for them is RESPECT. They refuse to let the weather dictate their plans or their ability to have fun.
I have done my fair share of shoveling snow, using my sister’s snow blower and I walk the dog at least twice very single day. I do these thing without complaint (for the most part) but I don’t spend time in the cold to have fun or for my health. I have a pair of snowshoes that haven’t seen the snow in 3 years. I haven’t thrown a snowball in at least 2 years. I have no idea how long it has been since I made a snow angel or went sledding.
I don’t melt is a lesson I need to relearn all of the time. Winter lasts a long time where I live and I can’t stay on the couch just because the winds are howling. I don’t melt is the mindset I try to adopt to get myself to do things I enjoy but can’t get myself to begin. Instead of saying it and jumping up to get ready, I say it and then start making excuses of why I shouldn’t do it. That is that feeling of ambivalence I wrote about in a recent post titled “Change Your But”!
Winter is not a problem that can be solved. It is a circumstance that must be taken into account. Letting it interfere with my ability to fully engage in the life I want to live is not helpful. One way I work around it is to get away for an extended break in a warmer climate. I can’t change the fact that it is winter but I can change where I spend part of that time!
I also like Mel Robbins approach to doing what you need to do; she simply counts backward from 5 to 1 and then gets up to do it. She says if you don’t act within 5 seconds you will pull the emergency brake and come up with the excuses. Her suggestion is simple but effective and she calls it the 5 Second Rule! When she was stuck in a major rut and couldn’t get out of bed, she used the 5 second rule to get going every day. I used it when I was contemplating getting my health coach certification and it got me moving in the right direction! I wrote about it in a post titled “I Got Kicked in the Pants”!
What have you been procrastinating lately? Time to get moving by invoking the 5 Second Rule! In the meantime, go out and enjoy winter. Choose happiness by being a kid again!
Lake Girl
