a wise man once said.....by kares: Still, Still, Still

I had no clue the snow was here. I was fast asleep Saturday morning, dreaming about the Wii, when a text message around 8:30am woke me up alerting me that an event schedule for later that night was canceled and to enjoy the snow.

Snow. wait, what?

I jumped out of bed, pulled open the curtains, and to my honest surprise, a few inches of solid white snow was laying all over the ground! I couldn't believe it. After all the attempts all week long, the clouds finally opened up and the air stayed cool enough to bring on the powder.

Something happens to me when it snows. I turn into a five year old all over again and get a jittery sensation that makes me want to jump. I went to my sliding glass door and sure enough, the snow was out back too! The bushes back there easily had 3 inches already, and it was still snowing.

Later on in that day, I realized that I was probably not going to be able to drive for a few days, and called Target to see if they were open since it's literally just across the street. I bundled up with layers, scarf, hat, and more layers, then trudged my way through the snow to get some essentials.

As I walked out the doors (wondering why in the world people were still shopping this late in the Christmas season), I stopped to draw a smiley face on those big red concrete balls in front of Target. Looking down, the tracks I had made coming in were already filled up again, as well as the ones I made on the sidewalk near my apartment.

I recently lost my iPod (sad, sad story) but purchased a new one thanks to some birthday gifts and my ability to over-save. Putting my purchases on the counter, I realized that I wasn't done in the snow yet. It's been years since there was this much snow available without having to pay for a lift ticket and risk driving, so I tucked my new, bright blue iPod deep into my pocket and headed back out into the blizzard.

Now, I don't know how many times you've walked in the snow. I can't remember this much snow since I was a kid. But there's something calming, peaceful, and soulful about snow. I walked along, smiling like a fool, and occasionally just stopped to look at my surroundings. With the exception of the tunes in my ears, I couldn't hear a thing for at least ten minutes. No cars, no loud city sounds, just peaceful, still snow. It's almost as if the whole world comes to a crashing halt when it snows. Kind of like when you get sick because your body is trying to tell you to slow down. Snow does this too. Makes you slow down and think about more important things.

Yes, the closing of businesses during this time of year can be financially dangerous, especially with how things in our economy are anyway. But how often do we sit and ponder the fiduciary and practical matters of life instead of spending time considering more important things? Snow can make us stuck at home with little to do... but that's just the point. We can get immensely creative when we can't leave the house or don't have transportation to get us anywhere. My guess is, the people who can't get anywhere now were the busiest ones and needed a good, long, restful break. It's time to slow down, breathe deep, and enjoy.

For the remainder of my walk through my winter wonderland, I took snapshots of untouched and solid patches of snow. Hazel Dell has never looked better. I truly felt 'cleansed', partially because the air filled my lungs in a whole new way, and partially because I was being shown a new outlook. In fact, I was so taken aback by the stillness of the snow that I wasn't even bothered by the infectious giggles of a couple junior high age girls trying to keep from falling over. I just laughed quietly with them, and returned to my walk.

The more I walked, the more I wanted to keep walking, and enjoy the solitude and stillness around me. The snow kept falling, and the instrumental Christmas music I was listening to made me feel like I was in an old time movie, and I half expected Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney to come waltzing around a corner in their red and white ensembles singing "White Christmas". Tearing myself away from the dream world and peacefulness of the snow, I hopped down the steps to the apartment complex and into my toasty apartment. I felt renewed, refocused. Silly, I know.

And then my Dad and sister came over to surprise me. We made a tiny snowman, I named him Icebox...