Ego Pins

I left my snowpants and heavy winter jacket at home in New Hampshire. "It doesn't snow here," I said, with a derisive snort. "You southerners have no idea what winter is." I would eventually eat those words.

I mean, sure it snows. Like, two inches at a time. And then it melts. And then we wait a month. And it snows two more inches. And then it's spring. Another North Carolina "winter" over and done. That was how I saw winters at Montreat. Nothing like the sometimes four feet of snow accumulation I was used to in New England.

I boasted all through the fall semester about how much snow we get at home. I assured my friends that it was like nothing they had ever seen. And then, just before break ended, a few of them came up to visit for a few days. Temperatures hovered at a relatively mild 27 degrees, and we had about five inches of snow on the ground.

It was embarrassing, to say the least. "Huh," my friends mused. "I thought it would be a lot colder. And more snowy. It's been just like this in North Carolina for weeks."

Still, we played in the snow and goofed off until it was time to return to Montreat for the new semester. And then, ten days after being here, it snowed. And it snowed good. Even I was impressed. We got some ten inches, which is the best I've seen at once this year.

"Hey, Audrey, what's that white stuff all over the ground?" my friends jabbed. "Is that snow? But wait, I thought you said it didn't snow! Were you wrong?"

I like to think I took it all with relative grace. I deserved it. Man, have I got an ego, and sometimes it gets away from me. My friends know me, and they correctly assumed their teasing wouldn't be taken the wrong way.

But I didn't just pay for my proud assumptions in some humiliation from others. I also paid a price personally. Like I said, I'd left my snow gear at home. I didn't think I'd need it. So here I was, wanting to play outside, but having none of the usual outdoor gear I'd been using since I was a toddler. No winter jacket, no snow boots, no snow pants, no sled. I was an embarrassment to New Englanders everywhere.

Pride comes before a fall, I remembered ruefully. Take it like man (or whatever) and get over it! So, I improvised. I put on fleece pants and rainpants over them, layered two coats, and pulled on my hiking boots.

I had a great time that day. We sledded, and explored our wintry landscape, and buried each other, and threw snowballs, and generally had some good, old-fashioned snow fun.

"It snowed!" I entered in my Facebook status later that day. "Like crazy! It's awesome! Embarassingly enough, I came ill prepared for snow like this. But that's okay. I need pins in my ego bubble once in a while."

I'm glad God keeps throwing things at me to keep me humble, or at least prevent me from being too egotistic. It's a real challenge at times, and I think it will always be something I struggle with. I just have an extremely high (though not at all unfounded) opinion of myself. I have a lot of great talents and gifts. I just need to remember where they all come from, and give glory to the Source, instead of hoarding it for myself, which is and forever will be a temptation. Just keep chucking those ego pins, Lord!