I’m taking a moment…for the snow.
Sometimes it’s worth taking a moment…for the snow. There’s something about the snow in winter that blankets the landscape with a layer of peace. The billions of snowflakes that are all unique, pile on roofs, trees, and the streets.
This is a short post. For the past year I have been training in meditation, then working with a business coach, and creating a meditation course. These are wonderful things.
But then Mother Nature gently told me, “it’s time to take a break.” I listened.
Slowing down
When the snow started falling, I had to step out onto the porch and admire the marvels of nature:
In the morning, I wanted to compare that with what it looked like the night before.
It was the first big snow we’ve had, and it’s amazing how the town, with its zooming cars, blaring trains, and endless to-dos, comes to a halt. The snow covers everything up, as a parent does when putting a child to bed, to invite slumber in warmth.
Losing power…lends itself to mindfulness
We lost power sometime in the night. The booming transformer not far from the house lit up the thick sky intermittently with sparkly bursts of electricity. I peeked out of the curtain to marvel at the general brightness of the landscape.
The power came on about eight hours later. When I heard the hum of the furnace firing in the basement, I closed my eyes and gave thanks to the crews outdoors who were giving up their own comforts to work through the night to get power to as many people as possible.
The quiet snow-bright night sky
A clear night sky is midnight blue with sparkling gems for stars. A snowy landscape, I observed, distributes the ambient light from the town or city and spreads it all around to create a foggy twilight reflected by the snow on the ground.
A lack of power meant that the computer was off. I decided that it had been a long while to just be and play. It was time to go skiing.
My husband took some photos with his phone. The protective cover on his phone is a wee bit scratched, hence the vintage-looking clips. I stitched the photos together to show stills of me pretending to crash into him as we were skiing.
I share this with you because it’s all too easy to get swept up in all the to-dos. To push through and forget that we also must take time for joy. Especially around the holidays when things seem to shift into high gear and our lists of things to do seems to grow by the moment.
It’s important to breathe and just be. The accumulation of snow gently reminded me of that. Instead of my usual researched and more serious posts about meditation, this one is a mindful recap of a snowy day.
I hope you take a day yourself to just be and just play – soon! Think about taking a moment…for the snow.
I absolutely love when Mother Nature reminds us it’s time for a pause. Your photos are stunningly serene, dear Cynthia.
Today is the first official day of my semester break … as such, this post / reminder is right on time.
Love you lots and enjoy the flakes…!! Maria
Sweet Mar – thank you for your sweet words. I love the time of pause. I stayed home from work today and decided not to venture out on the roads. One more serene day…ahhh…hehe.
Congrats on your semester break. That has to feel good. I know you’re an amazing teacher!! Here’s a little peaceful snow to kick off the season. PS – I just got your card. THANK YOU sweet friend! So sweet and so kind and you COLORED IT!! Wow! Beautiful!!! I’m so fortunate and so glad to know you, sweet friend. You are amazing!
Think you totally know how I feel about the cold and the snow. But I do agree that there is something beautiful and serene about the first snowfall of thes season. But again ask me this after the 10th snow storm of the season and you may get a different answer from me LOL! But still beautiful share and wishing you a relaxed Monday and week ahead now, my friend!! <3 <3 <3
Janine – hey, hey! Hehe…I’m with you on the cold and the snow. It’s peaceful, it’s beautiful. But too much does make me a little stir crazy. Haha. So, yeah, we’ll talk again after the 10th storm. Haha. Thank you for your sweet words and I hope you have a wonderful week! xoxo
Thanks for sharing your snow with us Cynthia! I love snow! It reminds me of childhood, play, sledding, building snowmen, and time off. We rarely have snow in AR and it’s one of the things I most miss. Snow is a beautiful reminder to slow down and appreciate the moment. Enjoy~
Brad – ah, you’re welcome! Hehe. I didn’t know that you don’t get much snow down where you are. Aww…I promise to “send” you some, especially if we have more big snowstorms. Hehe. I do love the gentle reminder it brings to slow down, enjoy, and appreciate. I hope you’re having a great start to your holiday season. Do you get to go visit family? Sending you hugs and wishes for a wonderful week!
Thank you Cynthia. I’ll gladly accept the snow, hugs, and blessings! 🙂
HUGS! 🤗🤗🤗
Thank you for sharing your “play” time. Wonderful reminder that our inner child is always looking to run and roam free. xo
Bernice – thank you for coming by! I’m glad the comment system is working for you, too. Oh, those tech glitches. 😛 Yes, my inner child had fun skiing and even though I had to hunker down and get back to work, I have thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful snow and it’s wonderful reminder to chill out (literally! hehe). Sending you hugs and wishes for a great week! xo
I honestly don’t think we will get snow this winter. El Nino has its grip on us, and that usually means a warmer than average winter and no snow….darn it! I love snow. I love snowshoeing. It is so quiet, so peaceful, and so engaging.
Oh well, we are an hour away from the mountains,where there is currently over 100 inches of snow, so it’s not like I can’t have it if I’m really Jonesing for it. 🙂
Have a great week, Lil Sis! Have fun in the snow for me.
Big Bro – really!? El Niño with his little tantrums. hehe. Warmer than average, eh? I did see one of your posts that said it had been raining and raining. I really want to get up there to see it. Perhaps this spring! Hehe. We need to add more states in our 50-state quest to see sacred places…
And you’re an hour away from the mountains? Not bad. 100 inches of snow!? Are there ski areas?
I hope you have a great week, too. Sending you hugs from the Continental Divide. Hehe
It’s been a nice warm winter here in the PNW and I’m happy for it. When we get snow, the whole area shuts down. I remember a time like you are describing. It was wonderful and I thought the same as you. Thank goodness for linemen out there working so hard while we are trying to stay warm. Fortunately we had put in a wood burning stove that year and it kept the pipes from freezing. I DO NOT miss shoveling. It’s quiet here a lot since it’s just me. But i got the call to slow down today as well. Cut my finger with a rotary blade and had to stop working for a while. 😉 No accidents.
Marlene – good to see you and I hope you’re feeling well. My “Big Bro” as I call him lives in Olympia (he’s the next to last person that commented here). He was saying that you all have been getting a lot of rain.
Yes, here in North Carolina, when there’s this much snow, the schools are closed for days. Hehe. Everything shuts down. Having grown up in Colorado, I didn’t understand why at first. And then I learned: they don’t have the road-clearing infrastructure here, the roads are narrow, the snow is much icier, and it’s downright scary. I do love staying home on snow days.
And yes, the first thing I thought when our power came back on was, “Oh, thank you to those people who have been out in the cold trying to get us power. BLESS THEM!”
I do love the woodstove. We don’t have one installed in this house (yet), but the kind of heat that it puts out feels like it warms the soul, too. I don’t really do the shoveling because…I know it’s hard. Hehe.
As for your finger – WHAT!? A rotary blade!? Yowza! Be careful, sweet friend, and take it easy. Sending you hugs and speedy-healing wishes. xoxo
There IS some very magical and awe inspiring about snows like in your vids. Thank you for sharing them. Very peaceful. When it is snowing such, it is as if time is suspended. Truly peaceful … and the perfect opportunity to …. 🙂
Losing power though, not such a good thing in the winter. Glad is was not off for more than 8 hrs! Glad you went skiing 😀
My favorite snow activity is sledding. As both child and as an adult lol Oh, and ice skating, too 😀
Excellent choice to stay home one more day. Snow days are wonderful.
Sweet Denise. The snow is magical, awe inspiring and lovely. I felt compelled to stand there on the porch just admiring it…and taking a video or two. Hehe. It’s amazing how quiet the world was when that big snow blanketed the landscape…
Losing power is not so much fun. I was so thankful it didn’t last that long for us. There were people who didn’t have power for days…eep! I know what that’s like and it’s not so easy. But making the best of it…with some skiing fun, well, I’ll take it.
Sledding is fun, too! We have this great sled hill near where we live. You can get fast…like something out of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. 😂
Snow days…so fun! I hope you have a wonderful week and holiday season ahead, sweet friend! xo
The snow looks beautiful 🙂 Haha I actually like the vintage shots your husband’s camera took 😉 I am thankful the power came back on for you and that you have one another – and Vinny!
Christy – so sweet to see you. Yes…the snow was peaceful. And those vintage shots…hehe…husby got a new phone case right after that. I’m very thankful for my little family. I love them so much. ❤️ Thank you for your sweet words and comments! Sending hugs🤗🤗🤗
What a winter wonderland!!! Just looking at these pics makes my heart happy… cozy vibes, yes please!! I’m so glad you wrote this post about taking a moment to just BE. I needed this reminder today. Thank you! More time for blank space and fun and playing. <3
Melanie – hehe…winter wonderland. We haven’t had as much snow lately. Yes…taking a moment to just BE. That’s sososo important. Thank you, too, for all your sweet comments, for coming by and…I’m listening to your sweet messages. And I love your expression: blank space for fun and playing. <– THAT is what our world needs! 🙂