It is December 1st and an appropriate morning to wake up to slowly drifting big lazy snowflakes moving past my window.
I opened the window wide to get a breath of the bracing frosty air and saw that the lane, street and trees were blanketed in white.
This is the first snow of the season for us in this area of town so near the water though the mountains have been dusted in fresh white powder for several weeks now.
In memory I can hear the voices of my children over the years on just such mornings shouting, "Dad, let's go out and make a snowman!" And me mulling over coffee and reluctant to go out into the cold but doing so anyway after several such promptings.
It all happens so quickly, and is over so quickly...these precious happenings with children.
I won't be rushing out to make a snowman today, but walking along the snowy street on my way to work. I can already feel the brush of snow against my face and magical sensation of becoming a child once again in the new snowy landscape.
There is something about the first snow of the year that is reminiscent of spring and new beginnings, I guess it has to do with the stark contrast between the two seasons.
But today (and yesterday too for some reason) I feel full of positive strength and have the feeling that all will be well this winter.
I wrapped up more than a few loose ends in the past days and had a wonderful meeting with my son Ky in which we discussed the options of a young man growing into manhood. He honored me by trusting me and opening up some of the feelings that are causing him concern.
In doing so, he imparted to me some of the wisdom of youth, stuff I have largely forgotten in the past few years mostly around the nobility of setting out into that vast unknown of adult life.
Never mind climbing Everest...life itself is the great challenge and how to trust one's instincts in the face of what one has never done or seen.
As I walk to work this morning in the new clean snow, I will think of myself as an adventurer into the unknown and imagine the day opening into exciting challenges and new possibilities that I had not noticed before.
Who is to say that with this new snow, a fresh chapter of my life is not just about to begin?
2 comments:
That was great reading. I too felt invigorated this morning. My son also asked if we could go out and make a snowman. We went for a short walk (I wasn't dressed properly) and enjoyed the fresh air. Take Care Lisa
I was not surprised to read your words about the snow this morning as I
have been having similar thoughts about it this week. This morning Doug
and I went out for our regular Saturday morning walk to a local coffee
bar, the temperature was close to minus 20 and we had no trouble finding
a seat and relaxing --We have lived in this neighbourhood for 20 years
now and are part of the scene, I guess. We know who all the regulars at
the coffee bar are. One a poet, one a composer, another works for telus
etc etc. The seasons change and our view of the neighbourhood might
become jaded except for the ever new experience of the first snow, the
time lapse changes of our northern spring, the lush green summer turning
into glorious autumn colours. And of course, our neighbours all look
older. I am listening to Cat Stevens as I rip it from a cd to my
computer. I had it in the car but Chris especially requested that I
bring it in so he could download it to his ipod. Weird how some music
remains forever relevant. Oh very young. You're only dancing on this
earth for a short while.
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