Walking In The Snow

  There is nothing quite so magical as walking through a snowstorm at night.  The street lights create a soft glow, causing the night to be light enough to see, but still dark enough to be mysterious.  The streets are deserted with only the occasional car driving slowly by.  You crunch through several inches of snow, stopping to let your dog sniff some rabbit tracks or even jogging a little as he bounds through the drifts like a puppy.  The city is quiet.  Quiet in a way that only happens during a snow storm.  There are no sirens, no noisy trucks and everyone is snugged up inside.  Even your footsteps are muffled.  The meaning of the Robert Frost poem "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" suddenly make sense.

    A thought crossed my mind this past Saturday evening as I walked my dog through our latest snow storm.  It occurred to me that there are two types of people in this world; people who look for peaceful moments and allow themselves to be healed by them and people who do not. There isn't much that a solitary evening walk in the snow can't soothe, if you let it. The trick is, you have to let it. You have to choose to let go of stress, anger, worry and whatever is making you miserable and just enjoy the peaceful beauty of the falling snow.

A particularly brilliant sunset reflecting off a recent snowfall.

Of course this concept isn't limited to winter walks in the snow.  The same experience can be found on a beach, in a warm bath after a long day at work, listening to music or simply sitting on your porch sipping tea in the morning (or evening).  As this past year has been one of the most stressful years I have experienced to date I have learned to cherish these little moments of peace and to live them fully.  It is my secret.  When people have asked me how I have done it, what makes me so strong I tell them that I just don't give up, because that is the simplest explanation.  The truth is that I allow myself to fully live those quiet, healing moments.  For a few minutes or even a few hours, I allow my troubles and worries to drift away and I enjoy the peace and healing that has come my way.  For a few moments I can forget everything and just be.  Knowing that these moments exist even in the midst of chaos and trouble allows me to go on.

And so, weary as I am of the cold and the aching joints that come with it, when it snows I bundle up and take the dog for a walk.  And I forget about those joints and just walk in the snow.  Magically, when I walk back through the door, out of breath and looking like someone powdered me with sugar, there is a smile on my face and I sleep just a little better that night.  And everything is lovely again.