Snow: Accumulation It all got a bit wintry here earlier this week. Mother nature spread a white fluffy blanket all over Scotland and tucked us in at the corners. A new energy settled in, an excited calmness of sorts, that only the arrival of snowfall can bring. Snow: In literature fresh snow is typically symbolic of tranquility and purity, while melting snow represents new beginnings. I find both of these to be true but on reflection, i think snow represents accumulation: a mass or quantity of something that has gradually gathered or been acquired. As i thought about it more, observing the sparkling white world around me, I was struck by how astounding it is that tiny flecks of ice can cover the earth so completely. Not one snowflake of course, but millions of them all falling as one, uniting, accumulating. Get it? Snow is missunderstood. We tend to associate it with freezing cold weather but actually, it wont snow if its too cold. My dad has a sixth sense when it comes to weather, he just knows these things. Snow begins when the temperature high up in the Earth's atmosphere drops below freezing.The cold air freezes water droplets into an ice crystal. As more water collects on the ice crystal, it freezes, making it heavy which then causes the ice crystal to fall from the sky. A snowflake. Each snowflakes is composed of 180 billion molecules of water. No two snowflakes will ever be the same. Like people. This is why i love learning about nature; everything is so much more complex and beautiful than I originally thought. Each snowflake is significant, unique, intricate; beginning it's incredible journey long before it presents itself on our Earth. I feel like i'm constantly being challenged to look closer,to dig deeper, to find the meaning. It's always there. The sight of the world as we know it, shrouded in snow can change our mundane reality for the better. We can see life in a new light; suddenly everything is beautiful. What a gift that is. I know how easy it is to get stuck believing that our world is a dark, depressing place. In many ways it is but its also so full of love and light, it all depends on how we look at it. Its so vitally important to find reasons to smile and feel joy every single day. I don't do this nearly enough and its not doing me any good at all. Today as i walked around Edinburgh, a man stopped to ask me for directions; i was pretty lost myself but i got my map out and tried to help. I decided to give him my map because i thought he might need it and he was so grateful. Little acts of kindness literally make us glow. Collect these moments in the same way snowflakes gather on the earth- each little one can seem insignificant but they are all vital in building something so much greater. With a little time, all of these small acts will build up and happiness might just settle over your life. I like to think of happiness in this way; a collection lots of little events or moments or thoughts that gather, grouped together in hope and joy. My current state of mind is not good. At all. Whenever people are nice to me, i instantly feel guilty because i dont think i deserve even a tiny bit of kindness. I don't know why i inherently believe that i am a bad person but that's how i feel. Nothing i do is ever good enough or even enough so my everyday is just a struggle to stop myself from drowning in all my own demons. I'm still going though and i'm collecting my happy moments and clinging to them. Holding them close and inhaling the familiar scents of all that is dear to me. Remembering that i have so many things i love and care about sparks a fire of gratitude and my days feel brighter. Sometimes.
I like running on snow, i like the crunch it makes, i like leaving footprints and i like looking up and watching the snowflakes fall. The air feels fresh and clean and rejuvenating. For the first few hours when the snow has just fallen, the whole earth feels so still and calm. The concrete and ugliness are gone; hidden by a delicate army of ice crystals that fell together and veiled the Earth in shimmering snow. Thanks little guys. Underneath it all, there is still magic to be found every day. The birds keep singing and the grass keeps growing, despite being covered in frost. That's a miracle in my eyes. Don't lose sight of the little things.
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LittlebirdJenna. Free spirit, flower enthusiast, seeker of truths. Archives
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