Shoveling

by Kay Heitsch

I know some people wonder what in the world is a 5' 1" almost 66-year-old woman doing shoveling snow. I wonder that, too, sometimes.

For the most part, I like being outside. Doing work like shoveling or mowing in the warmer months gives me a reason to be out.

I've found I can enjoy doing both IF I keep a positive attitude. By keeping a positive attitude, I mean thinking of good reasons for wanting to do this work. I guess I'm burning calories! This helps my heart and muscles! Being out here gives me time to think good thoughts. I love to see the snow sparkling and the beauty of the white snow. I wave at people passing by.

I know I can not allow myself to even start to go down the road of negative thinking. I know if I do, I will feel unhappy, and the job will be nothing but misery. Why would I want to do that?

My Bible text Matthew 11:28 & 29 today had the words "learn from Me" in it. If I really want to keep a good attitude while shoveling or mowing, I need to think about how Jesus handled life. I learned one BIG thing that when he was under stress, He kept his mouth shut! I don't know, but I bet Jesus didn't allow negative thoughts to fill his mind either. He stopped to help others. This has helped me too.

It snowed a lot more last night, but I see the sun trying to shine. I'll be out once again today. I ran out of gas in the snowblower yesterday, but I have more. I'll fill the tank up, but I'll just use little RED if it's windy.