I cross the flight path of the snowflake. Thwack. Cold and wet meets warm and dry. The chemical reaction tingles my cheek, waking me up to the fresh, bright morning. Thwack, thwack, thwack. Feeling it fully I bring myself into the pleasure of it all. Nature, coming down from the heavens as a wake-up call. Not some scenery off in the distance to look at with a few minutes of interest until the next sight comes along, but a purely visceral experience felt as snow falling on the face, heard as crunchy, squeaky steps in the snow and seen for its near-blinding reflection of the sun’s radiance.
It’s said that no two snowflakes are alike. With each and every snowstorm a diversity of natural wonder presents itself. I remember as a child how much I enjoyed every snowfall, then as an adult how my reaction changed. I went from greatly appreciating snow to being unappreciative of it and sometimes annoyed at it. It’s true that as children we don’t have the time-sensitive responsibilities that can keep us from appreciating an element of nature such as snow, but as adults we are better suited to mastering the art of perception. Either we choose to connect to the joy that snow brings, don’t see the joy in it or purely see it as a nuisance for its ability to snarl traffic and make our feet wet. As with most life lessons, the answer lies in the present moment. Shoveling the snow in the present reveals the true beauty of snow nature and the wonder that the process of shoveling snow can bring. Not being present casts a shadow of annoyance as we do the job just to get it done so that we can get back into the warm indoors. Thwack. Nature keeps on presenting itself for us to fully experience. All we have to do is feel, listen and see it. Few things in life present perfection as clearly as a snowflake.
