The Sound of Spring

As I sit here on a Tuesday morning, just over the half-way point of February, I try to find positives in whatever I can. The weather seems to have taken a break from the relentless onset of cold, wind and snow. There is actually some melting going on. I have been clearing our deck of snow. Not sure why. I had secretly hoped it would collapse. That might move it up on our priority list of projects. We do need a new deck. But we also need new. . . bunch of stuff.

I heard a crow today. At first I thought it was a hallucination. Not sure how that could happen unless I overdosed on coffee. Then I heard it again. That is a positive. A sure sign that Spring is coming. In fact it might be here we just haven’t noticed because of the wind, snow and cold temperatures. Okay. I know that makes little sense. But if you think about? It works.

When I mentioned to my wife that I had heard a crow she gave me a puzzled look. She really was wondering why that was a good thing. Here I would have thought she would be happy about that too. However I needed to explain to her. Today I like the sound of a crow. During the summer? Not so much. In fact I have some memories of those critters, difficult to call them birds with that god awful sound they make, waking me back in the days of camping.

As you know I am grasping at any sign I see. A sign of something better. Received an email this week from a faithful follower who sent pictures from days of old. Days when it was difficult, if not impossible, to warm up a car. Pictures of snow piled on cars, sidewalks, and streets. He sent that as a friendly reminder that with all my complaining I should take things in perspective. He makes a valid point. Perspective is what it is all about.

Chatted with a farmer this week who was berating himself for some of the decisions he made in the past. They had an awesome crop. No place to put it. Piled it outside. Now in the process of marketing it. Prices have plummeted. The system is plugged up. What looked good a few short months ago has changed. He was concerned about certain decisions he had made. He had lost perspective.

So truth be told, I took an extended lunch to watch some hockey. Perhaps that is not entirely accurate as I work out of a home office and who really knows how long my lunches are. I said that just in case my wife reads this. Need to make sure that she thinks I actually work when she is not here. It is the Olympics. Canada was playing. Played against Latvia. Not even sure where that is. However, it was an interesting game. A close game. I suspect they had Canada worried. Shots were 57 to 16 in favor of Canada. The score did not reflect that. At one point the commentator, when talking about Latvia’s phenomenal goal tending, made the comment that there was $150 million of play coming at the goal tender. So, in other words, a game that should handily be won by the Canadians.

The Canadians did win. The Latvians showed an incredible resilience. In spite of the over whelming odds against them they put up a good fight. Life lesson? You know me. Keep fighting. There is always hope. You may not always win but you can still put out a good effort. Just maintain your perspective. As for me? I will keep fighting this winter that never leaves. I will clear more snow to make room for the snow that is coming. I will take heart from the sunshine. I will survive. And I will take a positive from the sound of crows. For me that is a sign of spring. For me that is perspective. And, quite frankly, that is all that matters. Make it a good one.