Here in Colorado, the snowfall started Saturday night and continued throughout most of the day yesterday. What I love most about living here is what happens after the snow falls. This morning I awoke to a glorious sunrise, clear blue skies and a glistening blanket of white all around our home.
As a child, I used to love those holiday cards I received with snow made from glitter. I loved moving the card so that the snow sparkled even more. It was magical to me. After moving to Colorado and our first snowfall, I awoke to a day like today, came to our sliding glass door and took a deep in-breath. I was looking at a replication of my childhood holiday cards! I exclaimed to my children, “Now I know why they put glitter on the cards!” What a moment that was for me–I was back in childhood with that childhood awe and wonder at the magic of Mother Nature!
As I look out on the white landscape today, I’m smiling. My yard reminds of a magical time–of magic! It’s beautiful looking out at this blanket of glittering white with big white puffs of cotton in the pine trees. The view makes me joyful. And it reminds me of what my girls taught me when they were small. Each time we’d go out in nature, it was as if they were experiencing it for the first time. Every starlit night and every moon–no matter the size–that we walked under was an “ooh and aah” moment. Every time we went to the beach and chased flocks of birds or watched the waves roll in and out, they giggled and laughed. Each walk in a meadow or along a creek or even time spent with our flowers and vegetable garden in our backyard was an experience of glee. Looking at a newly open flower or picking one, gathering fruit and veggies from our garden were all moments of pure joy and bliss. They showed me the beauty and simplicity and how little was required to be fully entertained and totally delighted.
My girls helped me reconnect to that childhood wonder and delight and to the simple pleasures of life. As we watched a butterfly flutter in our yard or a caterpillar making its way across the footpath, they would squeal with delight–and of course, try to catch the object of their excitement. They would become totally immersed in the moment. And like the object of beauty they were focused on, they became transformed and glowed in that moment.
Life is no less magical than when we were young or when our children were small. Those same magical events still occur–stars and snow still glisten, butterflies emerge from their cocoons in all their brilliant splendor, fruit and vegetables still bud, bloom and ripen to feed us. Somehow though through all our busyness and focus on what we believe is really important, we can lose sight as adults of all these miracles which surround us. We begin to take it all for granted or simply not notice anymore. A yard full of autumn leaves represents the impending raking that must be done, glistening snow represents a driveway to plow or shovel, and a garden ripening represents harvest time. We skip to the thought of the task rather than pausing to appreciate the magic and miracle of the moment.
So, for today, look around with the childlike sense of wonder that was your birthright. Wherever you are in the world today, see Mother Nature’s beauty and splendor. For today, I choose to go outside and appreciate the glistening snow with childlike awe–what’s really there in that snow are millions and millions of tiny diamonds sparkling up at me!
