A snowy winter can wear down even the bravest of optimists.

In weeks like this one, the flip side of the MOUNTAINS OF SLEDDING OPPORTUNITIES (outside our front door) are also the MOUNTAINS OF SHOVELING OPPORTUNITIES (outside our front door)...

How is it possible that shoveling is super-fun when I am making a snow cave, but the minute we need to shovel a path or clear the steps, that twinge in my back returns and my fingers turn to blocks of ice?

Everything seems harder in the winter time.

The increased complexity of all the everyday tasks that lie ahead when I raise my head each morning is mind-boggling. I have come to wistfully remember our Fall mornings, when we could wake up at 7:15, grab a quick breaky, pack lunches into schoolbags, bolt out the door and be on our way.  Now every task takes more effort, and more time.

Breakfast has grown from a quick bowl of Cheerios to include eggs, toast, hot cereal, tea/ coffee, OJ, vitamins for everyone, fiber drink for the adults, the occasional smoothie and a ziploc bag of cheerios for the ride. Add in a 5 year old's serious case of table-wiggles, and, well... you know...

By 7:30am, someone has to be outside to turn on the car, sweep off all the snow from the windscreen and windows, shovel the new snow out from in front of - and behind - your current vehicle position. Then head back inside the house to get your multiple bags and layers together for the day ahead - including multiple indoor and outdoor outfits for the kids, inside shoes, car snacks, wallets, water bottles, sleds, gloves (and spare gloves), face-warmers, hats, extra socks...

Dressing the kids for school is way more complicated when it's 5 degrees Fahrenheit: layers are critical. I have a proven personal 5-layer system that I like to think I invented, but convincing my two kids to follow it is harder than it sounds... My young daughter informs me that coordinating your base layers with a tiara is no mean feat, and that in her experience, glitter shoes can magically make the snow disappear... My 'tween son believes a t-shirt and a ski jacket is enough to weather the bitter wind, and both kids assert that hats are optional. I know I am not the only parent who has daily battles about gloves, socks, hats and scarves. 

Once the car is loaded, you gotta make it out the end of the driveway which (inevitably) the town plow guy has just re-barricaded...so it's back out to shovel a path through the dirty snow so we can make it out onto the road. Bump, lurch, skid and - we're off!

The usual sunny-weather 15-20 minute drive takes twice as long with a snow-covered road and a town full of two-wheel drive vehicles...and when we arrive at our destination amidst snow piles and narrow driveways, the wait line for dropoff goes around the block...

Even despite all of this, there is so much to be grateful for...

We see beautiful sunrises every day. The sun comes up as we do, and we are able to see the way the sky shifts its color and cloud displays as the sun rises above the hills and horizon.

Long breakfasts mean we spend more time talking with each other, and checking in at the start of the day.

Our school commute involves multiple opportunities for views across a beautiful bay that is more often than not covered in sea smoke.

The tree branches that line our road look spectacular with ice rime, powdery snow or bare to the blue sky...

Every single day we thank the town plow guys for getting up early and making the drive the easiest part of the battle...

AND - although this season feels like it lasts forever (especially in the middle of February!), before I know it, the snow piles will have melted and we will be dealing with the mud and floods of the big thaw... and the pesky bugs that herald the oncoming summer will be beginning to hatch.

I choose to live here in this small Northeastern town for the incredible variety of seasons, the generous and supportive community, the gorgeous mountains and lakes, and the endless sea.

A little madness is worth it.