Snow snowy snow snow snow...

It's been one of the snowiest winters I can remember in recent history.  We have had light snow, heavy snow, snow mixed with rain, rain mixed with snow, snow in the middle of the day, snow late at night, sunny days with snow, grey snowy days…you get the picture.  Northeast Ohio has been a snow-lover’s paradise this year.

It’s the kind of winter that is great for body shops, orthopedic surgeons and ski wear / outerwear retailers.  Hardware stores have been out of salt more than they have had it in stock and small engine shops have rebuilt more snowblowers than ever.  People have made a killing and gone days without sleep keeping parking lots cleared.  City and County Governments have destroyed already stretched budgets buying mountains of salt and keeping fleets of trucks on the roads to keep traffic crawling along safely.  Kids have had snow day upon snow day until many schools now are looking at skipping spring breaks or delaying graduations because they have exceeded their allotted calamity days.

And yet with all of that snow, we hit 60 degrees in mid February…for one brief and wonderful day it was spring!  The birds chirped, the snow and ice melted and the sun felt SO good.  People shed their layers of flannel and fleece and stepped out into the daylight in shirts…short sleeved shirts for goodness sake!

I took the kids to the park to get some exercise and they had a blast swimming in the snow melt and mulch puddles, literally.  Our washing machine will never be the same. 

It was a beautiful thing.

That evening as I listened to the sounds of the neighborhood kids coming back to life and finding treasures buried in the snow since November, I decided to sift through thousands of songs on Itunes and make a “First of Spring 2011 Mix”…it contains some Blues Traveler, some Bob Marley, Vampire Weekend and Dave Matthews Band…music that helps melt the winter blahs as the temperature creeps up.  The windows were all open in the house and the music spilled out onto the deck.  Great feeling.  I burnt a quick copy of the mix for the car.  Then for some reason looked over at my phone and saw the little green light flashing in the upper middle area alerting me to a missed call or text.

It was an e-alert from a local TV station.  Winter Storm Warning for Wayne County starting at blah blah blah blah blah….instant headache.  Good feelings gone.  The music suddenly sounded completely inappropriate and I looked down and felt ashamed that I had put on cargo shorts.  What was I thinking tempting the snowgods with this foolish frenzy of springtime activity in February.  I should be punished…we all should…and we all were, by another 10 inches of snow.

Just saw the light blinking again…Winter Storm Warining for Wayne from 9:00pm Thursday until 4:00pm Friday (EST)…maybe this weekend we can build an igloo.  I can make a new mix to play too...maybe some Edgar Winter and Snow Patrol...

Serenity NOW!

I feel like George lately shouting “Serenity NOW” and then waiting for the stress to instantly dissipate and leave me with a tranquil peace…yea..it works about as well for me as it did for him.

Why is everything laden with a layer of anxiety lately?  I've tried to keep things simple.  I've tried to recognize the season of life I am in with 3 young kids, a big mortgage and small savings account balance, and I'm about as ok with that as I think a man can be.  I've recognized that my wife and I will again enjoy one another's company in about a decade and a half when my youngest son is driving and we have the house to ourselves for more than 10 minutes a month, and I have accepted that as my momentary lot in life.  Still…turbo anxious.

Things are going very well at the credit union, even with the economy and the government working together to jump on our chest and pick our pockets.  I know that this too shall pass, and when the dust settles we will be better for having made the choices we have.  We are boldly growing and gaining strength when many are cowering in the corner waiting for the storm to pass, I am damn proud of us for not only standing our ground, but advancing the troops.  This is the time and circumstances we build extra capital for, yet for fear of government henchmen so few CUs are using it to help their members when they need it most, after all, it is their money in the first place!  Still the stress creeps in every time I sit back and reflect on the day…sharing the rolodex of thoughts going through my head with no one but myself.

Is it overload?  Is it digitally-induced isolation? Is it a society hell-bent on stuffing us with information like a Thanksgiving turkey until our heads pop?  What is the real deal?  Where is the peace?  I know I'm not alone in this trench I dug.  I can look around at the Saturday morning soccer game at the other parents and see it in the dark rings under their eyes and the hurried rush to get the kids dressed and out the door before they are trapped in a conversation with another adult.  It’s sad.  When we need each other the most we run back to our suburban caves wondering if we fooled the other parents into thinking that we actually have it all together.

I think I have found the slightest hint of a solution.  I have started turning off my inner clock (and my phone)from time to time.  You know, the one we all have that constantly tells us we are 23 minutes behind and a mere mishap away from a complete meltdown.  I have actually started to try to slow things down, a bit, to take the time to chat with another adult from time to time.  Some look at me like I'm speaking to them in tongues, looking around the room for an interpreter.  Some instantly start in about the terrible weather and the sick kids they left at home with their spouse who is certainly ready for them to come back home...NOW.  Still, some others have actually taken to sticking around a few minutes after their mandatory time served to “help clean up.”  Words are spoken, though few... and some smiles are even exchanged.  I leave feeling ….better.  Even, dare I say, good?   

It seems that human interaction can actually be a stress reliever.  Who would have thought!?!   Who would have guessed that with IPods, Iphones, Ipads, Wii, PSPs, E-readers, Facebook on our Droids and a world full of WiFi that we can actually gain something positive from simple, face to face small talk?  Technology is a wonderful thing and has increased the human potential for productivity exponentially…but with great power comes great stress and anxiety…how do we marry digital and human interaction?

I believe we need to figure this out fast as a society or the fabric will start to unravel faster than your smartphone became obsolete.  Serenity NOW and by the way, how are you?  Great game today eh?