Yes, it snowed again. A lot. Not only that, but since the forecast was also calling for ice pellets and rain, we needed to shovel before the snow in the driveway became ice!

So out went Eli and I again.

To honour the occasion, here are three more lessons from shovelling!

First, if there’s something you need to do but don’t want to do, putting it off might only make it harder to do. If we hadn’t gotten out when we did, the ice pellets and change of temperature would have made the snow a lot harder to shovel.

Second, doing something you didn’t really want to do in the first place gives you satisfaction at a job well done. I actually debated between shovelling and waiting for the person who often plows for us. Of course, I didn’t want to make that trudge to the end of the driveway, but I’m really glad I did.

Third, doing what might otherwise be a toilsome job can be a chance to spend time with someone you care about. In my case, shovelling was an opportunity to do something with one of my sons. Eli told me that today was a good day. And when I asked why, he said because we got all that shovelling done. Then I commented that most of the time people wouldn’t say shovelling snow made their day better. But then he replied, “I got to hang out with you.” Cue happy Dad moment.

I should also reiterate that my other son Henry shovelled the end of the driveway later in the day after the plow did our street. The snow was much more densely packed and harder to shovel. When it seemed to be proving something of a challenge, I grabbed my gloves and jacket and went out again. Together, we got it done.

And as far as the above lessons go, I’m sure you can easily find ways to apply them to your own life—with or without a shovel.