I Write Stuff
And just like that winter is here.
The Eastern winds have brought with them a neverending supply of snow, it seems. I find it amazing what a few days of snowfall can do to well-tread streets and timeworn scenery. It's as if I've somehow wandered into another world, barely recognizing the minute details that were so friendly and familiar mere days ago. Sunlight is rarer than ever - only a few hours of light, overtaken by the strangely warm, comforting cover of darkness. Dark, yet not so. It is surprisingly easy to see outside, even during the latest of hours. The smallest flicker of light is magnified into a roaring flame by the now knee-deep sea of snow.
The winds are merciless. They cut through flesh and bone, make you feel as nothing but a fly circling the drain - helpless, overpowered by the sheer force of nature. And yet they have a strangely calming sense of creativity to them. They mold and bend the snowdrifts into shapes so wonderful, almost otherworldly, slice dunes into millions of jagged towers, twisting even the fiercest of icicles into wondrous patterns of loops and spirals. And none dare to disturb these cities of frost and ice. All is silent. Silence grows into snowfall, snowfall into storms, storms into blizzards, blizzards into a sudden silence, thus continuing this vicious circle. Even the trees seem to be sleeping in peace and quiet under their cozy blankets of snow, as even the strongest of winds struggle to disturb their stillness.
That's not to say that there are no slightly annoying quirks to this otherwise wonderful time of the year. Shoveling the garden paths for hours on end, having to ''defrost'' the dogs after they're done playing in the snow, cracking the sheet of icicles that have occupied your windows so that you could actually see what's happening outside, having to haul baskets full of firewood and briquettes every day and so forth. But I wouldn't change a thing. This is what winter is all about, at least for me. A time to relax with some mind-numbing labour and at the end of they day sit back with your favourite drink and enjoy the dancing flames of the fireplace.
Much to my dismay, a sudden gust slams the window shut. I decide to leave it. As I sit on the floor with a candle next to me and a cup of mint tea, I realize that even though I could yammer on and on about wonderful scenes of serene snow and incredible ice-sculptures, I can never really capture the essence of it all. The feelings, the emotions that one experiences during these winter nights elude me. I cannot put them into words. How they change and warp not only your mind, but your soul. For a moment, you feel as if you've become one with the cold and the sudden urge to simply lay down and rest forever under a sheet of ice and snow overwhelms every other thought. You forget all else. Finally, you are at peace.
Suddenly a sense of sadness starts creeping in. A sense of loneliness, of utter isolation. Not again... every winter, without fail, the thought that there's nobody to share these moments with, nobody to walk with through the dimly lit streets whilst being showered with soft snow, nobody to enjoy all that winter has to offer with, completely ruins any semblance of being content. It is a time to spend as much time with your family, your friends and loved ones as possible. A time to mend broken relationships, to fan the flames of new ones, to get back in touch with long-forgotten acquaintances. A time to love and be loved, a time to spread kindness and warmth to any and all. It seems that so many have forgotten what winter really means around here. None even seem to pay heed to the dazzling specks of snow that caress every edge and curve. Life continues on, as if nothing has happened. No stopping, no enjoying the view. It would be silly of me to expect otherwise, because people actually have responsibilities and lives, but every year it's still a bit of a disappointment for me. The loneliness isn't of much help, either.
I turn my gaze from the window for a bit and close my eyes. It's moments like these that are so very common during winter, for some reason. It is a time of not only happiness, but of death and decay after all. A way for everything to begin anew at the start of spring. A clean slate. How I'd wish that there was a chance to start again. My thoughts linger for a bit and then move on to far darker paths. Memories full of fear, of anger, of sadness unending flood my mind. They rip, they tear, they scratch at the wounds I thought were closed. I relive them one by one. Torn apart, piece by piece. I cry out as I remember...
There I lay on the hardwood floor, daring not to move an inch. Not the way I was expecting to spend my night, to be honest. Only the howling wind can be heard making its way through the heavy snowfall, all else is silent. And then, a soft thud. I slowly open my eyes to the dog puffing and snuffling about behind the frosted glass door. I let him in and hug him for a bit. The dog doesn't seem to care at all and after a short while continues on his merry way to raid the garbage can. Figures. I let out a short chuckle, as I realize how silly these last few thoughts have been. With renewed vigor I finish my tea, extinguish the candle and head out to fetch my boots, still a bit hazy from the overbearingly warm air around me. Those fireplaces sure do their job well. I think a nice romp out in the forest would do a great deal of good right about now. Time to clear my head and think of nothing at all? Yeah, I could sure go for something like that.
The Eastern winds have brought with them a neverending supply of snow, it seems. I find it amazing what a few days of snowfall can do to well-tread streets and timeworn scenery. It's as if I've somehow wandered into another world, barely recognizing the minute details that were so friendly and familiar mere days ago. Sunlight is rarer than ever - only a few hours of light, overtaken by the strangely warm, comforting cover of darkness. Dark, yet not so. It is surprisingly easy to see outside, even during the latest of hours. The smallest flicker of light is magnified into a roaring flame by the now knee-deep sea of snow.
The winds are merciless. They cut through flesh and bone, make you feel as nothing but a fly circling the drain - helpless, overpowered by the sheer force of nature. And yet they have a strangely calming sense of creativity to them. They mold and bend the snowdrifts into shapes so wonderful, almost otherworldly, slice dunes into millions of jagged towers, twisting even the fiercest of icicles into wondrous patterns of loops and spirals. And none dare to disturb these cities of frost and ice. All is silent. Silence grows into snowfall, snowfall into storms, storms into blizzards, blizzards into a sudden silence, thus continuing this vicious circle. Even the trees seem to be sleeping in peace and quiet under their cozy blankets of snow, as even the strongest of winds struggle to disturb their stillness.
That's not to say that there are no slightly annoying quirks to this otherwise wonderful time of the year. Shoveling the garden paths for hours on end, having to ''defrost'' the dogs after they're done playing in the snow, cracking the sheet of icicles that have occupied your windows so that you could actually see what's happening outside, having to haul baskets full of firewood and briquettes every day and so forth. But I wouldn't change a thing. This is what winter is all about, at least for me. A time to relax with some mind-numbing labour and at the end of they day sit back with your favourite drink and enjoy the dancing flames of the fireplace.
Much to my dismay, a sudden gust slams the window shut. I decide to leave it. As I sit on the floor with a candle next to me and a cup of mint tea, I realize that even though I could yammer on and on about wonderful scenes of serene snow and incredible ice-sculptures, I can never really capture the essence of it all. The feelings, the emotions that one experiences during these winter nights elude me. I cannot put them into words. How they change and warp not only your mind, but your soul. For a moment, you feel as if you've become one with the cold and the sudden urge to simply lay down and rest forever under a sheet of ice and snow overwhelms every other thought. You forget all else. Finally, you are at peace.
Suddenly a sense of sadness starts creeping in. A sense of loneliness, of utter isolation. Not again... every winter, without fail, the thought that there's nobody to share these moments with, nobody to walk with through the dimly lit streets whilst being showered with soft snow, nobody to enjoy all that winter has to offer with, completely ruins any semblance of being content. It is a time to spend as much time with your family, your friends and loved ones as possible. A time to mend broken relationships, to fan the flames of new ones, to get back in touch with long-forgotten acquaintances. A time to love and be loved, a time to spread kindness and warmth to any and all. It seems that so many have forgotten what winter really means around here. None even seem to pay heed to the dazzling specks of snow that caress every edge and curve. Life continues on, as if nothing has happened. No stopping, no enjoying the view. It would be silly of me to expect otherwise, because people actually have responsibilities and lives, but every year it's still a bit of a disappointment for me. The loneliness isn't of much help, either.
I turn my gaze from the window for a bit and close my eyes. It's moments like these that are so very common during winter, for some reason. It is a time of not only happiness, but of death and decay after all. A way for everything to begin anew at the start of spring. A clean slate. How I'd wish that there was a chance to start again. My thoughts linger for a bit and then move on to far darker paths. Memories full of fear, of anger, of sadness unending flood my mind. They rip, they tear, they scratch at the wounds I thought were closed. I relive them one by one. Torn apart, piece by piece. I cry out as I remember...
There I lay on the hardwood floor, daring not to move an inch. Not the way I was expecting to spend my night, to be honest. Only the howling wind can be heard making its way through the heavy snowfall, all else is silent. And then, a soft thud. I slowly open my eyes to the dog puffing and snuffling about behind the frosted glass door. I let him in and hug him for a bit. The dog doesn't seem to care at all and after a short while continues on his merry way to raid the garbage can. Figures. I let out a short chuckle, as I realize how silly these last few thoughts have been. With renewed vigor I finish my tea, extinguish the candle and head out to fetch my boots, still a bit hazy from the overbearingly warm air around me. Those fireplaces sure do their job well. I think a nice romp out in the forest would do a great deal of good right about now. Time to clear my head and think of nothing at all? Yeah, I could sure go for something like that.
