We’ve gone an entire week without any significant snow.
There’s no arguing that a fresh, undisturbed snowfall is truly a thing of beauty. But after the snow plows and salt trucks have passed by a dozen or so times and neighborhood dogs have left their calling cards on the mounds, it’s not really all that nice to look at anymore.
Each day we take notice of the icy mounds getting a little smaller, and dirtier, when we come home from work – praying that the worst of winter’s fury is finally over. Not so fast. I remember one Easter in mid-April building a snowman with rabbit ears so anything’s possible.
The other day I was walking outside, tired of being cooped up in the house like an Eskimo trapped in an igloo, and noticed something poking out from the bottom of the snow mound in front of my house. “Is that grass?” I said to myself. A closer inspection revealed what I suspected. While it wasn’t the vibrant green hue I’m used to seeing in the spring, and the blades of grass appeared flattened by the weight of the dirty snow pile on top of it, it still was a nice surprise.
It reminded me that better days are ahead. Days spent listening to nature and enjoying just being outdoors. But something I never understood was why so many people pollute the peaceful sounds of nature by covering it up with noise from radios or cars. After all, there’s nothing better on a beautiful spring day than sitting among the birds singing and tree leaves rustling under a soft breeze, with someone special sitting beside you to share in it.
It’s a shame we can’t take a moment out of the chaos in our lives to just stop everything and be at peace with nature and ourselves. Maybe as we’re all sitting around looking at the dirty snow piles, dreaming of more spring-like weather, we can resolve to take more quiet time to enjoy and appreciate the natural beauty all around us, rather than just cover it up.
Seasons change faster than we realize and soon the snow piles concealing the grass and vegetation will be a distant memory. So let’s take this time to prepare ourselves for the days ahead, when they’ll be plenty of time to enjoy the natural beauty so many of us crave.
