After a series of warm, relatively snowless winters, the Lower Mainland is now largely buried in snow. I remember growing up in Vancouver and trudging down the street with the snow up to my knees, sometimes even up to my waist. This seemed to happen about once a year, maybe even twice. Over the past few years, however, we have been lucky to have enough snow to ski on the local mountains. Indeed, the dry, early spring wreaked havoc for the 2010 Olympics. In contrast, 2008, I recall pulling my kids out of the cul de sac on sleds, Christmas presents in tow, so we could be picked up by our parents (who had an SUV) and taken home for Christmas dinner. That year, the very last of the snow piles in the parking lot up at SFU melted around the end of April or early May.
Now that the snow is here, at least for a few days, it can’t help but influence our everyday lives. Getting from place to place is more challenging, and yet, opportunities open up for sledding, snowball fights, and simply gazing out the window at the wintry wonderland. The snow also comes with responsibilities, such as shoveling.
To be honest, I’ve always been somewhat resistant to the idea of shoveling snow. The way I saw it, it wasn’t clear why I should shovel if it’s still snowing, and all my work will have amounted to nothing within 15 or 20 minutes. Well, today, I decided to give shoveling a try anyway. I was out there for about an hour and a half, and I must say that I got a lot done. I hacked away at the ice, clearing the driveway and the sidewalk in front of our home. I even shoveled the snow that had piled up where the driveway ends and the street begins. Of course, while I was shoveling, an additional two or 3 inches of snow arrived. Rather than give up and come back inside, I persisted. Looking out the window at my work, I feel a sense of accomplishment. The thing is, even though additional snow piles up, clearing the driveway and the sidewalk helps to prevent compact ice from forming.
I think that shoveling snow is, in some ways, like trying to improve our lives more broadly or trying to recover from mental health problems. Looking out at the cold, it is hard to want to go out there and work when you know that you will sometimes take two steps forward and two steps back. Just working on your life and learning new ways to cope, however, is like preventing the compact ice from forming. Even though, at times, it might seem like you haven’t gotten anywhere, every effort you make lays the groundwork, changes your brain in important ways, and will ultimately help you sustain your movement toward the life that you would like to live. ~ Alexander L. Chapman, Ph.D., R.Psych.