It’s starting to snow here a lot where we live. I love the snow and watching it fall as it covers the earth in the most beautiful blanket. I especially love it because it reminds me of my childhood growing up in the mountains in northern Idaho. I remember catching snowflakes on my tongue and letting them fall on my gloves and being in awe of the beautiful artwork nature made just for me. I absolutely loved sledding, ice skating, skiing and making dozens of snowmen and having spontaneous snowball fights.
My sister and I would dress in our warm clothes complete with gloves and hats and with plastic bags inside our boots as an extra layer of protection to keep our feet dry. Then we would head outside to play with our friends for hours. I mean for hours, all day. We would come home tired and hungry as we laid our gloves and hats out next the wood stove and warm ourselves sitting close by. Our mom would always have something warm cooking in the kitchen when we got home after playing hard all day. What a gift it was to have grown up during that time.
I remember often walking down our back road where the limbs of the trees would become heavy with snow and loved seeing the contrast of the green against the white background. But my most favorite thing about growing up in the snow was the quiet. Boy it was sure quiet when it snowed. There is nothing like taking a walk outside while it’s snowing or after a fresh fallen snow. The only sound is the crunching of your boots and your breath. Oh, and breathing in that fresh, crisp air after it snows is etched deep in my heart.
There is scientific evidence as to why it is so quiet after it snows. There is, of course, less noise in general because most people stay indoors after it snows, so there is less traffic and activity. However, the snow actually absorbs the sound because the snowflakes are natures exquisite crystals and they are filled with open spaces that absorb sound waves, creating a quieting effect over a blanket of snow. Natures perfect symphony.
Growing up in such a magical place has been etched deep inside my heart and was the biggest motivator for me to come back “home” to my beloved state of Idaho. I craved the quiet and beauty of nature so much and wanted to “Hear the silence between the snowflakes.” A silence like no other. That gap in time where we can be fully present and connect with our breath and nature that allows peace and calm to nestle deep inside for a while.
Finding the silence between the snowflakes has been such a gift. I am so grateful that I have found a peace inside that I had been looking for all my adult life. I just couldn’t quite “Get There”, wherever the heck “There” is. Perhaps it’s my age, perhaps I have been able to let things go that I held on to for so long, perhaps I am I state of remembering what it is like to be fully present and see the world through the eyes of a child. Perhaps returning home has been the greatest medicine and teacher for me.
The beautiful thing is that I can hear the silence between the snowflakes even on the hottest day. I just hold my hand over my heart and remember that that the silence can be found anywhere and at any time. I am just super lucky that I can look out my window right now and be reminded what a gift life is, right at this moment. One snowflake and breath at a time.
I hope that you can take a moment during your busy day to find the silence between the snowflakes, wherever you are, and if you’re lucky enough to be near the snow, get outside and play. Catch a snowflake on your tongue, build a snowman or make a snow angel. Allow yourself to be fully present wherever you are. It is such a gift to yourself and others.
I promise you won’t regret it.
Hugs
Christine
