The Tai-Chi of Snow Shoveling

The Tai-Chi of Snow Shoveling

It has been a bitterly cold and snowy winter thus far in our stretch of the woods. The reasonable tendency is to avoid the cold and stay indoors. As someone who works from a home office I tend to get cabin fever on occasion. So in order to combat this I have taken to shoveling the snow by hand with the intent of getting a mild workout. Due to my heart condition I can only attempt this with fresh snow before it has had a chance to become heavy, otherwise I need to resort to using the snow blower.  The two experiences are totally different. When I use the snow blower the procedure becomes a chore to finish as soon as possible because of the noise and the guilt from burning gasoline. However shoveling by hand is a quiet affair that allows my mind to wonder and my body to be immersed in nature’s elements. It does help to know that I can retreat to the indoors if it becomes too uncomfortable.   This winter it has snowed often and permitted me to attain a set procedure for the removal. For instance at first I simply started from the entrance door and worked my way out. Now instead I learned to be one step ahead of the sun. That is, I begin where I know the sun will first shine onto the drive and work my way following the shadows as they move. This way the sun’s rays can heat the drive and melt that fine residue left by the shoveling as I finish up sections still in shadow. Wrapped in warm layers I am totally aware where my body’s extremities are at all times, constantly reminded by the breeze pressing on my clothes and the tingling of the exposed skin. My mind can ponder the outside views, the animal tracks left behind by nomadic souls that traversed the property during the night, enjoy the colored feathers of the birds or the defined patterns of the shadows cast on the virgin snow. Since I have mastered the routine and pace, my mind can be given tasks to resolve challenges I face in my work. It becomes a mobile meditation that often bears fruit. It is the season when the landscape becomes transparent, undressed to its basic elements - when trees can no longer hide the sky behind their canopies and silence permeates everything.  And when you believe to be alone it only takes a glance into the scenery to discover sets of eyes that are sharing this time of day.