Hope

This new day is too dear,

with it’s hopes and invitations,

to waste a moment on yesterdays.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

The view from my window is desolate. January brought extremely cold weather. I looked forward to warmer temperatures this week. When I put on a lighter coat to take the dog for a walk the air was chilly and damp, the sky overcast. We still have weeks of winter ahead, I thought. This is not over.

Yesterday, a friend and I went to the Orchid Show at the Botanic Gardens. The glass atrium was filled with fruit trees and delicate flowers exhibiting all the colors of the rainbow. I looked through the windows at the gray day with smug thoughts. For a short time I was able to experience the warmth of spring. Much to soon we were back out into a frigid day. There is no escaping winter.

It’s easy to get caught in the trap of marking time. Waiting for something better to happen. Sadly, the clock doesn’t stop while we’re wishing for something different and we lose those wasted hours. As we age that time becomes more precious. There are fewer hours left to squander.

My Grandmother would often repeat the cliche, Tomorrow is another day.” when I, as a child, was unhappy with my current situation. She was right, of course. One day spring will arrive. Once again, the trees will bud, bulbs will begin to sprout and the grass will be green. Today is a temporary situation. We might as well sit down by the fire with a book and a cup of tea to wait it out with grace. It really is our only reasonable choice