My daughter got new glasses last week, and since her prescription had increased, she could see clearer. She had gotten into the habit of not wearing her glasses except at school, so when she put her new glasses on she was amazed at the clarity of everything around her. She looked around in awe at the billboards, the trees and the snow. She told me it was as if the snow had edges she had never seen before.

   This made me think about several things. First of all, I thought about how important our vision is. I thought of how much I take that for granted just because I can see. I thought of how grateful I am because I wake up daily and SEE the sunrise. It made me think of how easy it is to not “see” things clearly until we haven’t seen them clearly for a while.

   Several things can make us see clearer: new glasses, a friend, a quote, a new love, a newborn, a pet, a hobby, a parent, and even a new day.

   It also got me to thinking about what I don’t see sometimes. I thought of the snow and how it covers all of the landscape around us. I believe we have snow in the wintertime to cover all the colorless land. Just think of how dreary all of these months would be if we had no snow! But what about the things the snow is hiding that we don’t think about? The brown grass, the broken toys in the yard, the litter and garbage scattered about … I know it’s there but I don’t think about it.

   This made me think about our own flaws that are hidden by the better parts of our personality. 

   My friends complain about their flaws, but I don’t see them at all. Unfortunately, when we think of ourselves, we tend to focus on our flaws more than our strengths. When thinking of our loved ones, I’d venture to say, we focus on their strengths more than their flaws. We deserve to treat ourselves as well as we treat our loved ones.

   Then I started to think about how the snow is like our body fat. It hides everything under it. Sometimes you can’t see any definition in the landscape because there is so much snow covering it. Snow is very uneven, too. Depending on the wind, there could be four more inches on one side of the street than the other. Our bodies deposit fat in the same manner. It doesn’t care where it goes and it doesn’t care if your body is symmetrical; it just deposits fat where it wants. A pound of body fat takes up 2.5 times more space than a pound of lean muscle. Fat is lumpy and bumpy, while muscle is long and lean.

   When snow melts, it melts very randomly, depending on where it’s been shoveled or where it has drifted. Our bodies are much the same. We cannot choose where the weight will come off. It is just important to stay consistent — the definition of those long, lean muscles will show through.

   One more random thought … Sometimes it seems to take forever for the snow to cover the ground in the beginning of winter. We wait and wait to see if we have snow by Christmas. Then suddenly, overnight, we are hit with 12 to 18  inches. Seems our bodies feel the same way sometimes. I know this weight must have come on overnight. These jeans fit just yesterday!

   Consider these thoughts and take heart as spring approaches …

JANET NEVILLS owns Ladies Fitness Zone in LaPorte, where she teaches Jazzercise, Pilates and Yoga. She is also a Certified Personal Trainer.