Madness

This time of year in the northeast, there is more than one type of madness!  While March madness is in full swing, Spring is starting to tease us by dangling just out of reach.  A couple nice days get everyone’s hopes up just to be kicked in the stomach by one more subfreezing day and an impending snow storm.  This type of madness is sometimes referred to as cabin fever, and it can lead to high anxiety in even the most organized and simple household.

Right about now, I am starting to get the itch to open the windows and clean out anything that gathered clutter during the long winter months.  Typically, the food pantry and cabinets, plus the winter gloves, hats, boots, jackets and snow suits.  Having four distinct seasons will add to anybody’s wardrobe and seasonal gear, and winter is definitely the bulkiest of the seasons.

At times like these, you have to fall back, take a deep breath and center yourself, winter isn’t all that bad.  Nothing beats a steaming cup of hot chocolate, and the quiet on a snowy night is almost palpable.  The warm crackle of a fire and comfortable sweater, well anyone can enjoy that.  When the madness begins to creep in, I fall back onto thoughts like these to remind me not to be so hasty to move on from the winter.

I still find myself planning for warmer weather though, and this year I will be tackling the basement and the attic.  While it is comforting to think ahead at what I will be doing in the future, I have to remind myself that what I am doing right now is really all that matters.  Look forward to the future and reminisce upon the past, but live in the present, and be present in the present.

Don’t let the madness get to you, now is the perfect time to reflect, meditate and learn to enjoy the present. Also…Go Duke!