Melting Snow Folk

For everything there is a season

Walking through the neighborhood I saw melting snow folk, remnants of last week’s seven-inch snowfall. It’s unusual for us to get that much snow at one time, so many people changed up their work schedule and kids were out of school for the day. Time to make soup, drink hot tea, go sledding and make snow folk. But now that the weather is warming up, the snow is melting along with the happy little people crafted out of snow.

For everything there is a season

Winter, spring, summer, fall: Every season has its characteristics and surprises, whether it’s a snowstorm that shuts everything down for days or weeks of 100+ degrees that create dangerous conditions for people and nature.

I’ve always found it hilarious when people complain about the weather. What is the point in doing that? We haven’t yet mastered the art of predicting the weather much less controlling the weather. We know that each season has its joys and dangers and that each one will come around year after year.

The biblical proverb states “For everything there is a season and a time for every purpose under heaven.” The start of a new year is another opportunity to consider the seasons of our own life, such as where we are in our relationships, our career, our finances, our health goals, our spiritual practices, and our commitments to humanity and the earth. Is it likely that we are constantly improving in every area every year? No, probably not, because the seasons of our lives—like the seasons of nature—are cyclical.

• Some days we are productive because there are no obstacles in our path.

• Other days we can’t move around very much and have to occupy ourselves with making soup and building snow folk.

• And inevitably we will have days when we are watching the snow folk melt while pondering our next move.

Knowing where we are in the cycle can help us appreciate the beauty of the big picture and be grateful for our place in it.

Janet teaches in person in Tulsa and online through Zoom. Find out more at Tulsa Yoga Meditation Center