In How to Be Happier Day by Day: A Year of Mindful Actions, Alan Epstein writes about the spiritual practice of being grateful for all kinds of weather — even the kind of winter weather that inconveniences us:

"Look forward to the approach of strong or unusual weather. Instead of griping when the days turn foul — snow, sleet, freezing rain, or rain with cold temperatures — see them as an exciting adventure, as a time when nature reminds you that she exists, that when it comes to the earth, it is her domain.

"Even a severe cold spell can be the source of pleasure if you are prepared for it, if you act accordingly and bundle up against the cold and wind. Can you recognize that we all live on a small, spinning orb held on course by the force of gravity among the nearby heavenly bodies, and that its position in the universe is very powerful, but ultimately also very fragile?

"See the changing weather as representative of all change. As the earth moves around the sun through the course of the year, the earth is tilted at an angle of twenty-three and a half degrees — which creates the seasons. Consider also that at one time the bulk of the planet was covered with ice, and that erupting volcanoes are manifestations of the active core of the earth. We, living our lives day to day, are as much a part of this universal system as the moon, a grain of sand, or the sweet smile on your child's face when he or she wakes up from a two-hour nap in the middle of the afternoon.

"All phenomena — including bad weather — contribute to our experience of life. Don't discriminate. Enjoy the adventure."

The next time you hear a report forecasting strong and unusual weather make it your spiritual practice of the day to see it as an adventure rather than as a possible nightmare. See what a difference this reframing makes in our experience.

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat in Practicing Spirituality in Winter