What I Learned This Winter

Author Emily Freeman encourages a quarterly review: a time to look back on the past three months to reflect on what has been learned.  I am always intrigued by the idea, so this winter I tried to keep a running list to be able to share.  Here are eight things that I learned this winter.

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1.  There is a specific order for using multiple adjectives.  I had a vague memory of hearing about this, but I never knew the actual order until our fourth grader taught me!  Number, opinion, size, age, shape, color, origin, material, purpose.  With such knowledge, I can now say that we have a gazillion wonderful, itty-bitty, old and new, multi-shaped, multi-colored, gifted and purchased plastic Legos in Toby's room.

2.  Having a pair of brothers on the same sports team can be a major advantage.  Every other year, our middle two boys are the right ages/grades to be on the same baseball and basketball teams; this year is one of those golden years.  Besides simplifying our schedule, having two kids on the same team also means you get to see some rather spectacular plays that come from kids who play together everyday and have insight into how the other is going to react/move/think.  I really enjoyed watching Toby and Ish play basketball this season, and those brother-to-brother plays were just the best.

3.  It is worth making sacrifices to see a child pursue what he loves.  This year, Eli made the call not to play winter basketball (or spring baseball) so that he could focus on his very favorite sport: golf.  We completely supported (and encouraged, actually) this decision, but it meant that, for a few months, the brothers and I would be spending late Mondays downtown for Eli to take a golf class.  The first time navigating the bridge and traffic in the dark, I was stressed, but I kept reminding myself that this sacrifice meant seeing him excited and working hard on something he loves.  While I would have driven him to basketball games in the snow or done the zip between multiple baseball fields this spring if that is where his passion was, knowing that it is not where his passion lies but having to do it anyway would have been frustrating, to be honest.  His exuberant re-telling of his class during our drive home each week is a delight and reward.

4.  Pittsburgh libraries are all connected and hold reciprocal membership.  While Eli has his 1.5 hour golf class, the boys and I head three blocks north to one of the library campuses.  Sometimes, the boys bring their backpacks and do homework in a fun window seat overlooking the busy streets.  Other times, we hunt down books we've always wished to read but have never been able to find before.  The librarian already knows to look for us each Monday, the boys have something to anticipate, and we can return any books we check out to our own local campus.

5.  Seeing someone's hard work pay-off can inspire others.  Well, that isn't something really new, but this winter I learned that it can apply to younger brothers.  For example, Eli spent a Saturday cleaning his room.  His genuine pride in how his room felt when he was done and the fact that he found fifty dollars in gift cards through his cleaning did not go unnoticed by his younger brothers.  Since Eli's room clean-out, all three brothers have organized their rooms and experienced that same pride (though without the monetary benefit, much to their disappointment).  Julian still asks me sometimes if we can talk about what he doesn't need anymore.  Be still my minimalist-prone heart.

6.  Our baby is ready for kindergarten.  At the start of the winter, we had no idea if we would be sending our summer-birthday kiddo to kindergarten in the fall.  But so much can change in just a few months!  Our little man can't get enough of sounding out words, has the full blessing and encouragement of his preschool teachers, and enthusiastically goes to all the kindergarten prep activities our school district recommends.  It is a relief to feel peace over a decision. 

7.  Gretchen Rubin has a podcast.  Gretchen is an author whose work I have enjoyed reading and have mentioned in the past.  This winter I discovered that she and her sister host The Happier Podcast that includes research on human behavior, try-this-at-home tips, and fun sisterly conversation about things that have been working/have not been working.  It's a fun listen and gives some encouragement for small habit shifts worth taking.  The sisters are doing a project called 18 in 2018, a list of things they want to accomplish within the calendar year, and listening to them chat about it has inspired me to do a 40 before 40 list of forty things I want to do before I turn forty.  I hope to have the list finished to share here on the blog by my thirty-seven-and-a-half birthday on April 10th.

8.  Last year's mild winter was not the norm.  Our first winter here was not too bad, and I was so grateful.  Having to navigate roads in bad weather is one of my very least favorite grown-up activities, so I comforted myself with the information that we had moved somewhere with a gentler cold season.  And then we experienced (and are still experiencing) this current winter and I realized I had most definitely jumped to conclusions.  Come on, spring.  I am so ready for you.