Tonight, I am going to be taking a different approach. Most of us can agree that breaking up the monotony of life helps keep things in perspective and I am all about that tonight. Tonight we are going to travel, reader. In order to do this, you are going to have to get this song going in a new tab by left clicking the link and opening in the new tab. You will have to play this song while reading to get the imagery. Also, if the music runs out, you can either keep reading without it or you can hit play again. (Primitive, I know). Tonight's music comes to you from a band called Balmorhea. The song is called, "The Winter". The Winter by Balmorhea
Some of you may know that winter can be both annoying and beautiful. For those that live in warmer states, snow is never taken for granted. I remember living in Texas, trying to scrape enough snow to make a 2 foot snowman. The other states that receive regular seasons look forward to seeing the snow fall, but it gets old to them pretty fast. The colder states pretty much brace themselves for a long 5 months. Tonight, reader, we are going to jump into winter, mostly because it's pretty warm right now and I need to cool down. haha. In all seriousness, let's now focus in on the setting of our peaceful, pristinely-powdered planet where all is silent and powerful.
On a particular snowy evening, in the country, you decide that you need to get outside for fresh air because being inside has taken a toll on you and you are starting to get restless. You bundle up. You decide to put on your first layer consisting of long johns and a t-shirt. The next layer comes the flannel-lined jeans and long-sleeved shirt. After this you decide that two pairs of socks will do due to the fact that the snow outside is coming down at a steady rate. After trying to clumsily bend over and put your socks on, you put a hooded sweatshirt on followed by your jacket. Snow pants come next. You need to lay on the floor for this one. You squirm your way into the snow pants, half sweating and ready to get out of the clothes. Finally, your boots get laced up, hat and hood go on, and then your gloves. Beads of sweat are starting to form on your head, you need to get out of there. You stiffly wobble to the door, open it up and a cool rush of wind immediately cools you down. The sweat disappears and you finally feel comfortable. The sun is started to set and, already, you can see drifts of snow forming on your porch.
As you step out, you know not to go too fast due to the fact that the snow is covering a thick layer of ice. So instead of stomping out onto the snow, you slowly, carefully, and strategically place your foot on the ice as if you were walking on a creaky floor at night, trying not to wake everyone up. After you skate your way past the porch you decide to turn left, slowly trudging across the yard towards the woods. At this point the snow starts to pick up, not in a blustery way, but in a feathery way. You stop to look up at the sky, spot a certain snow flake and watch it fall to the ground. You can't hear it fall.You try to turn your focus on noises around you, there are none. The world has gone silent.
As you continue your quiet journey, you can't help but experience an overwhelmingly, calm feeling warm over your body. Everything you are experiencing in this moment is carefree. You don't feel the weight of the world, due dates, worries, or pressure. You feel as light as the snow, not caring where you land in the world. Then you consider yourself that snowflake you looked at outside your house. You find a tree that has fallen, you wonder if it made a sound when it did, you don't believe it did because of how inaudible the world has become since the snow started falling. As you take a seat your mind focuses back on the snow flake. You think of where it started, you become that snowflake at birth. As you float down, your destination known, you can't help but think about the adventure, the twists and turns your life will take. Will you fall straight down as planned out, or will a gentle breeze take you in another destination? As you start your descent you can see the whole world around you, your dreams are huge and nothing can stop you. You are halfway down, you meet the tree tops and you know your life is halfway over. You are accomplishing your goal of falling straight down! Just then, you hit a branch, you have landed. Is this where your life ends? It wasn't supposed to be like this. You were supposed to go as far as you could, which was to the ground. How unexpected! As you sit there, saying your goodbyes. A breeze pushes you through other branches, pine needles, and eventually you feel that weightlessness underneath you, your journey continues. A couple more seconds of free falling occur and you gently touch down at your final destination. You know this is the end of your life but you can't help but feel an accomplishment of adding to the scenery. The small impact you made, along with other snowflakes, has drastically changed the scenery and has made it beautiful. So you sit and wait, soaking in all that you have accomplished.
You snap out of your thoughts. Suddenly, a slight smile comes to your face. You start to feel the cold bite through your clothes. How long have you been out there? In the quiet, cold night, you'll never know until you reach home. As you take the scenery in a little bit longer, you sigh, watching the breath come out of your mouth. As it dissipates, you nod, not at anyone or anything in particular. Heading home, you start to see your shadow elongated in front of you. As you look over your shoulder you see the sun peaking out over the horizon. You decide to take it in, to let the sun start to warm you up. You know you need sleep, but after being so relaxed during the night, you feel sleep could never compete with the euphoria you just experienced. The sun gets higher and higher. The darkness has vanished and the snow magnifies the brightness of the sun. Everything around you is bright and pure.
As you enter your house, you take off your outer layer and work your way down until you are in your long johns and t-shirt. Heading to bed, you can't help but think of that snowflake and all the difference it made in the world. As you smile at the thought, you slide under the covers hoping that you dream of being that snowflake once more, in a world that is peaceful, undisturbed, and perfectly quiet.
Some of you may know that winter can be both annoying and beautiful. For those that live in warmer states, snow is never taken for granted. I remember living in Texas, trying to scrape enough snow to make a 2 foot snowman. The other states that receive regular seasons look forward to seeing the snow fall, but it gets old to them pretty fast. The colder states pretty much brace themselves for a long 5 months. Tonight, reader, we are going to jump into winter, mostly because it's pretty warm right now and I need to cool down. haha. In all seriousness, let's now focus in on the setting of our peaceful, pristinely-powdered planet where all is silent and powerful.
On a particular snowy evening, in the country, you decide that you need to get outside for fresh air because being inside has taken a toll on you and you are starting to get restless. You bundle up. You decide to put on your first layer consisting of long johns and a t-shirt. The next layer comes the flannel-lined jeans and long-sleeved shirt. After this you decide that two pairs of socks will do due to the fact that the snow outside is coming down at a steady rate. After trying to clumsily bend over and put your socks on, you put a hooded sweatshirt on followed by your jacket. Snow pants come next. You need to lay on the floor for this one. You squirm your way into the snow pants, half sweating and ready to get out of the clothes. Finally, your boots get laced up, hat and hood go on, and then your gloves. Beads of sweat are starting to form on your head, you need to get out of there. You stiffly wobble to the door, open it up and a cool rush of wind immediately cools you down. The sweat disappears and you finally feel comfortable. The sun is started to set and, already, you can see drifts of snow forming on your porch.
As you step out, you know not to go too fast due to the fact that the snow is covering a thick layer of ice. So instead of stomping out onto the snow, you slowly, carefully, and strategically place your foot on the ice as if you were walking on a creaky floor at night, trying not to wake everyone up. After you skate your way past the porch you decide to turn left, slowly trudging across the yard towards the woods. At this point the snow starts to pick up, not in a blustery way, but in a feathery way. You stop to look up at the sky, spot a certain snow flake and watch it fall to the ground. You can't hear it fall.You try to turn your focus on noises around you, there are none. The world has gone silent.
Once you have taken in the beautiful snowfall, you focus forward and continue towards the tree line. In the forest, you feel so little in such a huge world. The trees look down on you, wondering who this stranger is passing through as the sun goes down. They know that finding solace under a canopy is safe instead of the open fields, especially at night, so they excuse you and let you pass. The snow isn't as abundant under the trees, you can pass through without having the blanket floating in front of your face. Looking back, you can see the last beams of light passing through the trees from your house. You know, soon enough, the world will become dark and you will feel alone, cold, and it could be dangerous. Then you remember, all is silent. It's just you, your thoughts, and the world at large.
You snap out of your thoughts. Suddenly, a slight smile comes to your face. You start to feel the cold bite through your clothes. How long have you been out there? In the quiet, cold night, you'll never know until you reach home. As you take the scenery in a little bit longer, you sigh, watching the breath come out of your mouth. As it dissipates, you nod, not at anyone or anything in particular. Heading home, you start to see your shadow elongated in front of you. As you look over your shoulder you see the sun peaking out over the horizon. You decide to take it in, to let the sun start to warm you up. You know you need sleep, but after being so relaxed during the night, you feel sleep could never compete with the euphoria you just experienced. The sun gets higher and higher. The darkness has vanished and the snow magnifies the brightness of the sun. Everything around you is bright and pure.
As you enter your house, you take off your outer layer and work your way down until you are in your long johns and t-shirt. Heading to bed, you can't help but think of that snowflake and all the difference it made in the world. As you smile at the thought, you slide under the covers hoping that you dream of being that snowflake once more, in a world that is peaceful, undisturbed, and perfectly quiet.
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