Uploaded December 2025 | Updated September 2026, 10 hours ago
We’re all shoveled out after the snow! I’m
old so there will be some Advil incoming, but it is so satisfying to carve paths out of the fresh snow so the herd can get out.
There is something about physical labor, being able to see your progress that is medicine. Once I get going, farm chores always feel good.
Part of it for sure is that physical work gives our brain time to unwind! This time of year can be an emotional rollercoaster. For me settling into a job that challenges my body gives my brain time to wander, sort out emotions and put them in a more logical place where they don’t rule the day!
A few years ago, a guest from Kenya came to the school where I taught to speak to teachers. He was reflecting on how surprising the road rage was in America. He observed that it seemed like people here were all walking around with full trash bins (he pointed to his head). His impression was when one small thing happens, we are more prone to overflowing because there is no room for one more thing emotionally. He believed the goal was an empty trash can so that there was always room to put daily challenges.
As I shoveled today, I considered a similar metaphor. In clearing away this small storm, I was also thinking ahead to the long winter and all the snow and ice to come. I took my time, making the paths extra wide and keeping snow away from the fence line to prevent escapes in the months ahead. I won’t lie, I am an expert at burying my worries and emotions. Today I considered how it might be more heathy to treat them like snow—Meet them head on (after coffee of course) and find places for them that would make moving forward easier.
I think the shoveling helped!
We’re all shoveled out after the snow! I’m
old so there will be some Advil incoming, but it is so satisfying to carve paths out of the fresh snow so the herd can get out.
There is something about physical labor, being able to see your progress that is medicine. Once I get going, farm chores always feel good.
Part of it for sure is that physical work gives our brain time to unwind! This time of year can be an emotional rollercoaster. For me settling into a job that challenges my body gives my brain time to wander, sort out emotions and put them in a more logical place where they don’t rule the day!
A few years ago, a guest from Kenya came to the school where I taught to speak to teachers. He was reflecting on how surprising the road rage was in America. He observed that it seemed like people here were all walking around with full trash bins (he pointed to his head). His impression was when one small thing happens, we are more prone to overflowing because there is no room for one more thing emotionally. He believed the goal was an empty trash can so that there was always room to put daily challenges.
As I shoveled today, I considered a similar metaphor. In clearing away this small storm, I was also thinking ahead to the long winter and all the snow and ice to come. I took my time, making the paths extra wide and keeping snow away from the fence line to prevent escapes in the months ahead. I won’t lie, I am an expert at burying my worries and emotions. Today I considered how it might be more heathy to treat them like snow—Meet them head on (after coffee of course) and find places for them that would make moving forward easier.
I think the shoveling helped!
