Wisconsin Spring

           The wonderful thing about Wisconsin is that you can find yourself outside on the first day of spring, looking at a half foot of freshly fallen snow. Earlier that day, snow was falling hard the on cornfield in my backyard, sparkling in the high sun. Between the thick falling flakes floating around me and the blue dome above me, I felt like I was in a wintery snow globe that someone had just grabbed and shook up.

            But later that day the snow had settled, the sun was dipping down below the tree line and the bright colors of the morning had faded to rich blues and purples. The wind had set some of the snow drifting, revealing brown peaks of the rows of dirt. The scene in front of me was so peaceful that I forgave the snow for postponing my spring weather.

            A familiar hum cut through my silence, followed by a harsh blinking light. There is an airport out of view, just beyond the tree line, and planes fly over my house several times a day. Even though I’d seen so many, I’ll never get used to those thunderous engines flying so close above my head, a feeling like the chills I get from a fly buzzing in my ears, and the blinking lights painted an afterimage in my retinas.

            The plane cut across my scene, overshadowing all the beautiful qualities of the night, and left me in a tense state. I realized how easy it was for this one small interruption to dominate my attention and take over my whole outlook on the things in front of me.

            I guess this happens a lot. One small problem can take over, worry me to no end, and put me in a negative mood. Insignificant setbacks can blind me from all the wonderful things I have in front of me.

            The plane landed, revealing my peaceful scene once again. And just like the plane, my everyday dilemmas were resolved and life went on. What I took from this night is that bad things happen, but behind the bad there is always plenty of good to be found. The snowy scene was much more pleasant when I could see around all the disturbances, just as my life will be more positive if I can see around the small problems and focus on the things that I’m grateful for.