I woke this morning to the first snow of winter – six to eight glorious inches of fresh white stuff with more trickling down. As per usual, I exchanged my slippers for snow boots and began shoveling in the dark while our lab ran around. 

20 minutes later I had gotten about half done, the dog was wanting his breakfast and I was ready for a shower. I happened to be home alone this weekend as “my boys” (husband and sons) were on a weekend trip.  I also happened to know that my Mom and daughter were also home alone this weekend (my dad and son-in-law are also out of town). Three women, three different towns or cities, all looking out their window at the snow and calculating how much time it would take to clear the front steps, sidewalks, and garage pads of our respective homes.

While we all call Montana home, this large state means that we are still distanced, so I texted them asking how much snow they had and how they were doing.  Over breakfast I reminisced about the long line of strong women that I’ve been blessed to have in my family.

This year, my grandmother buried her husband of nearly 70 years, watched her first great-granddaughter get married, purchased a new home and moved across three states within the span of 2 1/2 months. I get tired thinking about it! She still cooks her own meals and maintains her own home, bemoans the lack of social connections COVID-19 has put on everyone and insists that because she survived the swine-flu a “few years back”, this COVID thing isn’t that big of a deal.  We don’t argue with her.

Before the “Me Too” movement there were women in my family (and many others) – that got up every morning, cooked for families and hired hands, and then did chores and worked the fields alongside their husbands. They suffered financial problems, health crisis, and just plain bad luck. But they kept going and they expected everyone else to keep going. It’s just what they did, it’s what you did – there just weren’t any other options – you kept going.

We still do…

2020 will be remembered for many things – social distancing, job losses, political divisiveness and the list goes on. But we can not only survive, but thrive. At MNW, I am blessed to be surrounded by very talented and hard working women. When everything shut down this past spring, staff stepped up and learned new skills. We added technology options, software and supplier lines that have let us pivot from in-person to virtual events. It hasn’t been easy, but there aren’t any other options. Our clients need new ideas, new methods, new approaches – and we are going to provide it! We evolve, grow, and keep going – we just do.

As we enter this winter season, I am not going to try to predict what will come next year.  I don’t want to discuss the new normal or even long-term plans.  I’m just going to try to enjoy the moment.  All three of us women exchanged snow pictures – laughed over the fact that my daughter couldn’t find her snow gloves (some things never change) and acknowledged my mom’s comment that “exercise is good for old ladies.”

Moments like this put a smile on my face.  I love my life.  We just need to “keep on, keeping on” as my Mom would say.

About the author:

Traci Ulberg, as a native Montanan, has been blessed to call Missoula, Bozeman and the southern areas of the Flathead home. Growing up was spent packing (with horses) into the Bob Marshall Wilderness and flying into mountain lakes (she soloed at age 16) for a weekend of fishing and boating on our many lakes and rivers. While she has since traded horses for hiking boots, Traci continues to explore, share, and love all that Montana has to offer.

Traci has spent the majority of her career helping clients across the United States (and world) plan and execute meetings that fit their missions and budgets.