About a week ago, a good friend and I were walking along a path still covered with snow. With each step came the crunch of hardened snow beneath our feet. Also noticeable were the footprints of those who had walked along the path prior to us.

While we were walking the same path as those who came before us, our steps were different. It was as if with each crunch under our feet we were breaking new ground. My friend looked at me with a smile and said, “This reminds me of when I was a child. I used to love being outside in the snow.” I echoed my friend’s sentiment and we mused how, with age, the cold and snow had become somewhat of something to be avoided or better appreciated from within the warmth of the “great” indoors.

It was interesting how we had started out on our walk with a bit of resistance, as if to embark on a chore. However, we both ended up having a joy-filled experience. Although our walk was not what one might call an adventurous outing, simply stepping outside of the comfort zone of our homes that day certainly enkindled a spirit of adventure and a remembrance of how good it can be to brave the cold, or what one might see as less than close to ideal.

The experience was a reminder of how easy it can be to become complacent, stagnant, or for one’s zest for life to lessen, even if ever so slightly, when surrounded, day in and day out, by comfort more so than that which is new, unknown or different. Just as the cold air, the footprints of others, and the crunch made with each step on that snow-covered path brought joy, memories, and a renewed perspective to my friend and I it also brought a breath of fresh air, and with that, new life. Oftentimes breaking new ground begins with walking where others have been before, but with new eyes…remembering what was, while looking forward to what can be. We will never know until we trust the voice within, calling to our hearts, “Step out into the snow.”