I have spent the past four months complaining about the weather.
Anyone who lives in Michigan knows winter can be unpredictable, but the past few years lulled us into a false sense of security. Winters had been relatively mild. Snow would come and go. The cold didn’t seem quite so relentless.
This year was different.
It felt like the entire Midwest got buried. Snowstorms stacked on top of each other. Driveways constantly needed shoveling. Roads were slick. The air hurt your face the moment you stepped outside. I hate being cold. I hate driving on ice. And I definitely hate shoveling snow.
So for months, I complained.
Then something shifted.
As we head into what many Michiganders lovingly call “fake spring,” I can feel my mood changing. The sun is out more than five minutes at a time. Temperatures creep upward just enough to make stepping outside feel hopeful instead of painful.
I’m more active.
More productive.
More optimistic.
After months of gray skies and bitter cold, the change in season feels like a reset.
But this morning, as I reached for my third round of tissues, it hit me.
When a new season comes… so do new problems.
Winter may finally be loosening its grip, but now allergies have entered the chat.
The same warmer air I’ve been celebrating is also carrying pollen. The sunshine I’ve been craving is arriving alongside itchy eyes and a runny nose.
And it made me laugh a little.
Because this isn’t just a weather thing. It’s a life thing.
Every new season solves something – but it usually introduces something else.
When winter ends, we celebrate warmth… and then deal with allergies.
When business grows, we celebrate revenue… and then manage more complexity.
When life gets calmer, something unexpected eventually shows up to keep things interesting.
Progress doesn’t remove problems. It simply changes the type of problems we face.
And that realization can actually be freeing.
Because if problems are part of every season, then the goal isn’t to eliminate them entirely. The goal is to recognize which season we’re in and adjust accordingly.
Right now, the season I’m in looks like this:
Sunshine.
Warmer days.
A little more energy.
And a box of tissues nearby.
And honestly? I’ll take allergies over snow shoveling any day.
Seasons change.
Problems change.
But forward movement is still forward movement.