Did you ever look at a snow flake?
Living in the Rocky Mountains affords many seasonal miracles, in many seasons. The grandest of which is winter. Snow. Oh, I know there is snow in other places, and some places get way more snow than we do, but even though there is snow. It's different.
Our snow falls in splendiferous circles, spiraling to the ground. Each individual snow flake comes down in a way that glorifies the space, the thin air, and the wondrous miracle of mountain high living.
Standing in the middle of a mountain field with snow falling around you, you're surrounded in white. Pines in the distance whisper in the crackling magic of a snowfall, the breezes circling through. But the sound you hear in the field is the crisp falling of snow flakes, shattering when they collide. The stillness of the air, the brisk dry chill of the air seeping into your bones, and the life. You feel the life.
The mountains speak your name. They call your heart. The pines begin to dance and live, vibrantly cheering on the elemental value of each single snowflake, falling, diving, and landing. But they don't stop with landing...
The breeze in the mountains make them swirl. It lifts them off the valley floor and sends them dancing on swirls of air, vibrantly showing off their tips and edges, sparkling in the white of a Colorado winter.
Decadent Dance of Dalliance
The joy of walking in a winter snow fall can't be topped. My grandmother referred to January snow strolls as the decadent dance of dalliance, a joy known only to those who dared to step outside their comfort zone and walk where none had tread.
We had open fields of wondrous attractions, sparkling with hints of sunlight as the skies cleared. But our favorite strolls were before the snow stopped falling, before the skies began to clear, and before the quiet refuge of seasonal miracles ended.
To have a memory of walking with Grandma through the snow, you had to be there. But to experience the decadent dance of dalliance all you have to do is wonder into a field of new falling snow and wait until your tracks are covered, then spin in circles and stand still until you're covered in snow. Listen and watch as the seasonal miracle fills up your heart and soul until you drift into the oblivion caused by whiteness.
Listen close... You can hear the snow flakes falling.
Ah, yes the first the snow of the year. As a child it used to mean so much to me. I can remember bundling up in my winter coat and stocking cap and climbing a tree just so I could see the first snowflake of the year. The first snow represented so much excitement and anticipation.
It meant that Christmas was just around the corner and I just might be getting that neato Evel Knievel action figure with the stunt cycle. It meant waking up extra early to listen to the radio in the hopes that school was called off. Endless days of snowball fights, snow angels, and building igloos were certainly impending. A long day of playing in the snow would be followed by getting enough wood for the fireplace to last the night, eating a big dinner, and having the family gather 'round to watch the Donny & Marie show.
But alas add thirty years and the whole meaning of the first snow somehow changes. It is no longer Christmas but the Holidays. There are people who do not even want Santa to say "ho, ho, ho". Evel Knievel of course is no longer with us. I now track the first snow by Doppler Radar on the internet, and Marie Osmond is divorced with eight kids.
If I get up early it is because I need the extra time so I can scrape off my windows and to allow for treacherous roads so I can make it to work. Before I leave I say a quick prayer in the hopes that I make it to work and home in one piece so I can do the same exact thing the next day.
Trips to the grocery store are hectic and traumatic. The long walk back to the milk section ends in you discovering that the one inch of snow that was forecast has sent all the neurotic paranoid freaks scurrying to the store where they buy three gallons just in case that one inch of snow causes a complete breakdown of the cities transportation system for an entire week which puts them at risk to be calcium deficient. Meanwhile the level headed people amongst us just want enough for a bowl of Fruit Loops in the morning. Instead we are forced to head to the bakery to pick up donuts for the family. Wait a minute....maybe that is not such a bad thing after all.
The passing of time has indeed affected my perspective on the first snow 코인카지노 of the year. But you know even though I may sound like I am complaining it is still exciting. It still means something even if all it means is that I made it another year. There is nothing more beautiful than fresh snow on the ground and in the trees.
All of the complaining and commiserating that we do amongst our friends, family, and coworkers just makes us feel a little closer because we are going through it together. If anything we can assure ourselves that we are a little tougher than those wintering in Florida and drinking fruity concoctions with umbrellas in them.
Some things though only have to change if you want them to. In my house it is still Christmas, Santa still says "ho, ho, ho", and Donny Osmond pretty much looks exactly the same and quite frankly is just as annoyingly chipper as he ever was.