A Snowy Day and Meeting the Moment

Written by Michelle Shelton

Jan 5, 2023

It snowed here the past couple of weeks. A lot. A whole lot of snow. Piles of beautiful snow. Many of the sidewalks are still covered in over a foot. The sidewalks that are shoveled have runoff that melts during the day and freezes at night. It made our walk to school a little tricky as I navigated the path this morning with my 9 and 6 year old boys.

Right out of the gate, they both slipped. My 9-year-old caught himself. My 6-year-old was holding my hand and I caught him. Otherwise he would have had a complete wipeout. “Be careful!” I instinctively cautioned. My 6 year old responded, “you mean Be Aware.”

Be aware. I love that so much. He said it then followed up with, “it’s the same thing.” But it isn’t really the same thing, at least not to me. And I love Be aware so much better.

Be careful is a halting warning. An awareness that danger may be present. A call to pause and proceed with care. For my trepidatious little guys, that little hint of danger may even be a call to stop altogether. Or at least make it very hard to move forward without overwhelm and fear.

Be aware is a call to meet the current moment. To understand the environment and circumstances around you. To move forward and to lean in, to be ready. To adapt based on what you perceive. To have a conscious response to the situation. To meet it with an open heart and an open mind. A stance of preparedness vs protection, of forward motion. Of empowerment. You may still feel some fear, but Be aware balances the fear with courage and action.  

You have what you need to meet this moment. There may be potential pitfalls or challenges. You may slip. You may get a little hurt. Get back up and adapt. Lean in and assess how to respond. Be aware and engage, move forward and lean in. Be aware and step up to life.