A Long Forgotten Winter Day

I no longer remember the year, nor the month, but I do remember…that day.

I still remember that I was working at the time. The snow began to fall at about the time that I returned to the office after lunch. OK, let’s begin there.

The weather was just cold enough to form snow, but not so cold as to make it a dry type of snow. It was that snow which is just perfect for children to build snowmen and snow forts. This in itself wasn’t so special, but the forecast was for the sky to clear during the night and a bright sunny day to follow.  As I looked out of the window I saw how the snow fell like balls of cotton and stuck to whatever it touched.

People around me complained about the sloppy roads and slippery driving conditions which we would face as we drove home for the weekend, but I wasn’t bothered by that. I was thinking about how beautiful nature can be with trees covered in white snow, and a gorgeous sun illuminating every detail.

I could think of nothing else as I drove home and went early to bed. Something within me told me that this would be a very special day, perhaps even…a magical day.

Before sunrise I was out of bed and drove to a thickly wooded area in which to enjoy this portrait of white. As I neared my destination, I marveled at how perfectly covered in snow were all of the tree branches, the shrubbery, even signposts. Everything had taken on a beauty that was both temporary and memorable.

I got out of my car and proceeded toward the densely packed trees. The sight of some deer and rabbit tracks reminded me that I was not totally alone. The silence was such that I could hear every detail of the snow yielding to the weight of my feet. I tried to walk more slowly and silently, not wishing to disturb the serenity of the place or moment. I continued to walk ever deeper into forest, ever farther from all things made by man.

As the sun’s rays reached over the horizon they brought an intensity to the already white world surrounding me. The brightness of the snow was almost blinding even as the silence was almost deafening. 

I felt like a child, surrounded by a world of white…light…and silence.

A profound inner peace permeated me.

In order to explore this kingdom of magical snow, I spoke a few words, wondering how they might affect this tranquility which had removed all thoughts of daily life from my consciousness. As I spoke, I could almost see the words as they left my mouth and proceeded into the distance, only to be quickly absorbed by the snow…and the silence.

I looked up to the treetops and the sky beyond wishing that I too might be absorbed into this world of white…light…and silence.

As the sun continued to rise higher, its’ rays became ever warmer. Slowly the cotton-like snow began to melt off of the trees and fall to the earth. Tiny droplets of water formed, each acting like a light prism, dividing the light into little, almost invisible, rainbows. Thousands, perhaps millions of these rainbows dancing upon the snow.

I don’t know how long I was there, but I knew that the magical winter morning was ending. More and ever more snow fell from the trees to the ground revealing barren limbs and branches.

It was time for me to go.  I turned around and began to retrace my footsteps, not wanting to disturb any more snow than I had.

Before long, I heard the distant sound of cars, and reality began to replace tranquility. Soon I was driving home.

The magic of that day may not have lasted more than two hours, yet it is always with and within me. I doubt that anyone else remembers that day, perhaps it was special only to me. It lives in my memory and so I see myself as its’ custodian, its’ caretaker so-to speak.

I, and perhaps I alone, shall never forget that day because….it’s something to think about.