It snowed. Not on Christmas day but the day after. We were visiting friends in New Jersey. A blizzard hit us and left fourteen inches of snow. Some places had up to thirty two inches.
”There is nothing in the world more beautiful than the forest clothed to its very hollows in snow. It is the still ecstasy of nature, wherein every spray, every blade of grass, every spire of reed, every intricacy of twig, is clad with radiance.” ~William Sharp
It’s a beautiful sight watching the snow fall. Pristine white and super soft. Rooftops of houses, buildings and cars are covered with a uniform layer of snow. Even bare trees are covered with snow. During the night, it’s bright all around as if there’s a full moon in the sky. During the day, the snow reflects the brilliant sunshine and it’s dazzling white all around! It’s the most awesome sight – picture perfect!
When I was a kid, I read a lot of books and novels about white Christmases, snow storms, blizzards – White Fang, Little Women, Anne of Green Gables to name a few. Cold winters and snow sounded a lot of fun then. There was this novelty around them. When I came across beautiful pictures or paintings of wintry and snowy places, I would look at them wishing I were born there instead of in a hot and sweaty place! The pictures looked perfect – pure white snow all over, bright sunshine, adults and children snow balling or skiing! Wow! Seemed a whole lot of fun!
“The first fall of snow is not only an event, it is a magical event”~Unknown
After bachelors school, some of my friends who came to the US to pursue higher studies were based in the North East. They wrote long letters of their first adventure with snow. How they loved it! It was beautiful, it was amazing, etc etc. I was secretly envious of them. A month or two later, I received letters from the same friends – complaining about the bitter cold and the snow storms and blizzards! The novelty had worn off…and they wished desperately for the winter to end!
My first encounter with snow was in Boston on one of my many, short trips to the US. They had one of the worst winters in eighty years. I didn’t mind that very much because I knew I wouldn’t be staying in Boston (or in any other cold place) for too long. That was some eight years ago! Little did I know then that I would be spending four winters in upstate New York!
I was born in a very hot place and I grew up in a place that had winters. But they were pretty mild when compared to the winters of upstate New York. My husband (well, he too seems to have read books and gazed at many a snowscape!!) and I sometimes wonder if we saw too many pictures of wintry, snowy places that we manifested it in real life!
“A lot of people like snow. I find it to be an unnecessary freezing of water.”~Carl Reiner
There’s a downside to winter apart from the perfection and beauty. It’s bitingly cold. The sun disappears for days at a time. The days are short. The sun doesn’t rise until 8 am in the morning. And by 3pm, its dark again. Sub zero temperatures. Chilly winds lower the temperatures even further. There are snow storms and blizzards. And yes, ice storms. Travel and commute is at the mercy of the weather. First thing in the morning, you have to dig your car out from the accumulated snow. Then there’s black ice – it’s treacherous – it’s snow that has melted and frozen into ice – it’s invisible because it blends with the background. If you wish to step out, you have to put on your snow boots, wear layers of clothing and make sure your head is properly covered. Yup, even if it’s only to check the mailbox or to throw the garbage into the trash cans. Even my neighbors who have lived here for more than sixty years claim that they have not yet gotten used to the cold. Don’t I sound like a crib pot? Yeah, I know I do. There was a time when I found winters depressing and I would complain everyday. And then it all changed one day…
“Weather is a great metaphor for life – sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s bad, and there’s nothing much you can do about it but carry an umbrella.” ~Terri Guillemets
Two years ago we had icy rain. The weather forecasts were predicting wintry mixes and icy rain, like they always do, and not many of us paid much attention. We have had icy rains before, they are worse than the snow but not really that bad.
This time it was different. It rained icy rain through the night. When we woke up in the morning, the power was gone. A rare event where we live. Nothing works if there is no electricity – no stove, no heater, no phone, no internet, no TV. Basically, you are cut off from the rest of the world. My husband went to work. My cell phone was water damaged during our trip to Hawaii and I had not yet replaced it. I had no means of communication. Thankfully, the boiler was working and I managed to get a nice, hot water bath.
Outside, the scene was beautiful, was picture perfect. All the trees and branches were covered with ice – they looked like crystal trees – it was an amazing sight! When the sun shone brightly through the clearing gray skies, it was even more magnificent. I bet the whole of Northeast shone radiantly that day…
“The color of springtime is in the flowers, the color of winter is in the imagination.” ~Terri Guillemets
Hours went by and there was no sign of electricity. I sat huddled on the sofa, trying to stay warm, adding layer upon layer of warm clothing around myself while the temperature dropped degree by degree. I wondered when the power would come, and mused how dependent our lives had become on electricity. My imagination ran wild and my mind raced as I conjured up all kinds of scenes! What if the power didn’t come for hours, days…? Where could we go? Hotels? What would we eat? What would I do if it became any more colder? Go park in the car? What if the car ran out of fuel or the battery died? How about the families who had small babies and little children? What would we eat? What if …? What if …? What if …?Is there anything we can accomplish if we had no electricity? Did we take too much for granted in life? What’s the lesson to be learned from this experience?
“Let us love winter, for it is the spring of genius.” ~Pietro Aretino
We were some of the lucky few who got power by evening. And when I connected with the rest of civilization, I came to know about the havoc wreaked. Trees fell under the weight of the ice. In some places, they fell on cars parked by the roadside. Transformers had burst. More than a million homes had lost power and half of them didn’t get any for nearly three days. Some homes had no power for nearly a week. All because of an inch of accumulated ice! Forces of nature are mighty indeed!
“Weather is a great metaphor for life – sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s bad, and there’s nothing much you can do about it but carry an umbrella.” ~Terri Guillemets
Winter’s here again, the temperatures are sub-zero and we are expecting snow again in the next few days. Thought it might be a good idea to recollect some of the promises I made that icy-rainy day, the intentions I set, and the resolutions I made.
“Every gardener knows that under the cloak of winter lies a miracle … a seed waiting to sprout, a bulb opening to the light, a bud straining to unfurl. And the anticipation nurtures our dream.” ~ Barbara Winkler
Appreciate and be grateful for what you have. That day I counted my blessings once again! My mind raced over everything and everyone I could be and ought to be grateful for and to. Electricity tops my list:) Heaters. Boilers. Stoves. Cars. Fuel. Phones. Internet. Duvets. Comforters. Beds. Carpets. A place to call home. A roof over the top. People who cleared the snow 24×7. People who woke up at unearthly hours and worked during earthly and unearthly hours so the rest of us could be comfortable and warm! There was so much to be thankful for.
I was in admiration of the human spirit. Kudos for the dogged determination of the human spirit and its never say die attitude! We inhabit the coldest, the hottest, the rainiest places on earth. We have found ways and means to not only survive but thrive under almost all conditions. We owe this to thousands of years of human experience! Wow!
Also, my reverence towards nature only grew. I vowed that day that I was not going to take nature for granted but would consciously look for ways to optimally use natural resources – in my husband’s words “use respectfully and responsibly”, minimize waste, and be conscious of actions and thoughts on the environment around!
“Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather.” ~John Ruskin
Focus on the brighter side. Might as well focus on the positive, brighter side of winters than focusing on what’s not gonna change – the cold! Well, here’s a list of to do’s during winter that would occupy the body, mind and soul – and when all three are occupied, there’s no time to get depressed – winter’s the time to entertain friends and family, gather together for potluck parties, invite friends to share a hot meal, spend tea-time leisurely drinking hot chai and eating spicy samosas, cook lavish meals (and put on weight in the process), watch wonderful movies by the dozens, catch up with reading, gaze at the beautiful landscapes (and perhaps paint them), holiday in Hawaii or Florida, enjoy the holiday break, spend time browsing shops and shopping for Christmas gifts, play indoor games, learn and play winter sports, take classes for ballroom dancing or yoga or painting or …, make plans for spring and summer, and of course, look forward to spring and summer!
Winters are not all that bad, are they? With so many things to do, the time’s gonna fly!
“If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.” ~Anne Bradstreet
A time and purpose for every season in life. How true that there’s a time and purpose for every season in life? I will let you ponder over this…and not philosophize about life any further – the above quote says all that needs to be said. It will certainly make a good article sometime:)
“In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.” ~Albert Camus
For heavens sake, stop complaining! I promised myself that icy day that I would never ever complain about winters again. Not a word about the biting cold or the layers of clothing or about the dark, short, cloudy days! Mum’s the word:) I shall bear every winter, sorry, I shall spend every winter loving each day, being grateful for what I have, “discovering the invincible summer within me” that will stay with me forever…………….Amen!
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