A neighbor named Phil once told me, “Shoveling snow is good for the soul.”
It’s the kind of comment that one immediately dismisses (“This guy must be crazy!”) but later realizes is a profound truth.
Like much physical labor practiced alone or perhaps with a close friend, shoveling snow by hand provides time to disengage from the cares that are part of one’s routine and to refocus for a moment on something as mundane as the weight of snow, or the accumulated leaves that have been buried beneath it during the late-autumn winds. Eventually, as the shoveling becomes the new routine, one’s thoughts drift to other things, perhaps about people one has encountered (such as Phil), activities one has left behind (such as cross-country skiing), or places one has visited (say, a tropical beach where snow never entered one’s thoughts).
Almost unnoticed amidst those reveries is a new appreciation of nature in all its forms.
We lose track of nature while focusing on money, fame, or the latest social media message. Spending time doing physical labor outside reacquaints us with the world of trees that are ever-moving despite their rigidness, birds that flit among the branches and soar into the sky, and the crisp air of winter.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to The News Café to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.