S'now what?

By Jonathan Kaplan, Ph.D.

So, it's snowing again in NYC.  From where I sit, the falling snow seems to be coming from all directions.  It's white and fluffy and get caught easily in the breeze.

As you might have heard (or experienced), our last snowstorm in New York was a bit of a nightmare if you intended to go anywhere besides your living room.  I've seen many more plows on the road, and it seems like there are more active efforts at snow removal this time around.  However, rather than getting mired in such assessments, see if you can experience the snow just as it is.  Notice what judgments come to mind:  Is it pretty?  Problematic?  Cold?  And, if it's not snowing where you live, simply become aware of your thoughts regarding the weather today.

Snow Mindfulness in Gotham: Patience, Patience, Patience

By Irene Javors, LMHC

I confess. I am a person of limited patience. I go after things with vigor. When I am confronted by obstacles, I grit my teeth and push through or so I think. This winter has been one for the record books. Snow, more snow and yet more snow. The blistering cold, the piles of snow, the ice and those infernal winds force us to submit to the will of "mother nature" whether we want to or not. Like all other New Yorkers this winter, I have been snowed-in and snowed-out by the weather. For someone as impatient as I am, this has been a test in learning how to go with the flow, especially when you don't want to.

I have cancelled clients, classes and social engagements. I have stayed indoors despite creeping cabin fever. In short, I have been forced by a power far greater than my ego-driven self to slow down and check out the scene.

And check it out I did! On the day of the most recent snow event, I decided to take a very long walk and see what I could see. Under several layers of clothing and wearing boots designed for the arctic tundra, I ventured forth into my Queens neighborhood. No cars were on the road. The snow covered streets were a pristine white. The trees were highlighted by small hanging icicles. But what was most spectacular was the quiet. No car horns or traffic, very few people, just the silence of snow crunching beneath my feet. I drudged onward for almost a mile. The more I walked, the calmer I became. This seemed rather paradoxical to me since a storm was raging all around me, yet I ( the eye) of the storm felt peaceful and centered.

I realized that I was experiencing something that I have been striving to feel during all my years of meditation on the pillow: the ability to be at peace in the center of chaos. This in vivo experience on this wintry Thursday afternoon had brought home to me the importance of paying attention to the teachings that are right there in everyday life.

The snow has helped me to slow down and hear the falling flakes. But I still don't like the cold!