It was the week of the Winter Solstice, and Mother Nature handed off the barometrics of the day to a young frolicking Jack Frost. Jack had covered the landscape with a blanket of much needed snow and turned the outside heat well below freezing. Although we had been breaking ice each morning to allow the animals to drink from the troughs, the frigid temperatures had caused the ice around the sides of the troughs to grow a little thicker each day; until on this particular morning some of the troughs were frozen solid.
With our body armor of insulated coveralls, wool gloves and knitted beanies, we created a defensive advantage against the antics of Mr. Frost. And upon emerging from the shed with an arsenal of tools, my young son and I were ready to bring the frozen skirmish to his front door! We chipped and we shoveled, we pounded and we picked, until piece by piece and cube by cube we finally claimed victory over the elements and emptied the troughs of all the ice.
As the fresh water began to refill the troughs my young son toppled over and laid down upon the nearby haystack and said, “Dad, maybe we should take five for about ten minutes?” I laughed out loud at his suggestion and agreed that we should. I asked if he was worn out, and he stated that he’d be fine after a short rest. The little guy proved to be correct. We sat among the hay until the troughs were topped off. We then set out to do the next round of tasks. Throughout the balance of the day, and resting between chores, my little soldier stayed his post right by my side.
I found this to be a life lesson. Did you know that the reason ice freezes is because the cold causes the molecules to slow to the point that they get stuck together?
At times we see the elements of life work relentlessly upon us until we allow our goals and dreams to lose energy and slow down, eventually suffering the effects of molecular stagnation and they become frozen in place. At this point it takes a lot of effort and work, maybe some tools and help. It may even require us to take a break for a moment to regroup and regain our energy. But, if we come back from that rest with rekindled determination and willpower, the fire within us can continue to burn. As we keep working and keep trying we can overcome and attain. If we can keep striving and remain active in chasing our goals we will not let the effects of our surroundings determine our outcome. Life is good, keep moving forward!