Thank you very much. It’s good to see someone else out there that feels snow as a presence, not just a pretty weather pattern.
Journal, Diary, & Blogging / Thoughts of Snow
Although it may be a boring subject, sometimes it is simply appropriate to talk about the weather. Such as the ten or eleven inches of snow that appeared outside of my house in late November last year.
“But Oubliette…. you live in Canada! Isn’t that normal?”
Pleaaase. No, not in the Lower Mainland (for those who aren’t local, that’s around Vancouver). We have two seasons here: Rain and Summer. Of course, rain does occur in the summer as well. Our winters, although we have snow, tend to be very light dustings of snow, or snow that comes down, and is washed away by showers the following evening. It snowed heavily for two days consecutively. This was indeed quite an unusual occurance in the place where I live. I suppose it wouldn’t have been be so bad if we didn’t only have enough proper snow gear (or rain gear even for that matter) to properly protect one person between all five residents in this house… and that gear is gear my mother brings home from work. We used to be much more prepared for this weather, but when our old gear got, well, old, we never replaced it.
So there I sat and contemplated. Do I like this turn of events, or despise it? I dreaded to think of the health my mother had been in at that time, coughing all of the time so frightfully… and she works outside. She declared that she was going to work the next day in spite of the weather. I realize people need to work, I also realize people work in worse conditions. However, she’s not as young as she used to be, and we were, and still are not, adapted to such snowy weather, and she was quite ill… so I felt justified in feeling somewhat concerned for her health. I thought to myself, ‘If the snow does not let up, I may have to tie her to her bed, dial her work number, and force her to call in sick.’ I knew she had quite a bit saved on her time bank, and sure, she was saving that for the upcoming seasonal holidays, but well, health is important.
On the other hand, snow is very pleasing to the eye. I get a strange sense of wonder, although sometimes it’s a bit of a lonely feeling, it is yet still enjoyable. That sort of deeper thinking, so deep it doesn’t have words, and full of meaning you can’t begin to decypher. I am uncertain how to describe it, but snow has always made me feel strange when I look at it. That night, as I shoveled the driveway, and felt the tiny flakes blow onto my warmed cheeks, I felt another sensation, as though there was something I ought to remember but could not. All this said, I usually do feel most lonely. I do not, however, think it is because many people stereotype snow as death and gloominess… but because I adored playing in it when I was young. (Yes, get your tissues ready to hear my pathetic sob story) However, I did not have many friends, and my older siblings seldom came out and played with me. They were too preoccupied in finding ways to cope with their own gloom – a heavy tension and situation I was too young to understand. So when I see snow, there are times when I see myself playing by myself… and of course getting bored rather quickly… but since there wasn’t much to do inside, I’d sit in the cold and think anyway. However, I stayed out in the cold because that other feeling, that nostalgia, was there right from when I was young. Even a sense of mystery or mysticism. So I guess the loneliness was just something added to an already present reaction.
I find this feeling is strongest at night. The sky… it changes colour… it changes density… and the world becomes unified under a cold, delicate shroud. Even with these silly poetic descriptions, I still can not come to grasp with what snow really means to me, and I’m uncertain I ever will find the answer – and if I find the answer, I doubt I could understand it and apply it somehow. Why am I looking so deeply into snow? It’s just frozen rain, a seasonal thing, and though symbolic to many, it’s just… snow… simple enough isn’t it? Ah, it’s easy to think that, and I do, but then there is that strong feeling. Perhaps I even feel a presence. Although I feel alone, when I’m in the snow, staring into the hypnotic falling of millions of flakes, I do feel at peace.
Well, how was that for talking about the weather?
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dadevi reviewed Version 1 -
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I really like how this piece wasn’t about the snow itself, it about your experience with snow, and how it allowed you to cope. I like snow myself, even though I’ve only seen it a few times in my young life. I can see how you can feel that way about it. It really is a sight!
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calistablu reviewed Version 1 -
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Beautifully done. What is more constant in our life than weather? A great subject to discuss. Snow in particular has always pleased me, as long as I don’t have to be out in it too long. I understand the sentence “Perhaps I even feel a presence”. Snow feels alive to me, as if it has the ability to communicate in some strange way. It is also extremely peaceful as it deadens sound and leaves a beautiful layer of sparkling white. I really enjoyed reading this piece. Good work!
gypsiegrl reviewed Version 1 -
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You did a very fine job talking about the weather. I enjoyed reading your silly poetic descriptions.
Huntress080 reviewed Version 1 -
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Aside from grammar and some spelling problems I thought that it was an OK story. For people who have grown up in snow this is a story that they can relate to. I felt as though you could have put more emotion into it some how.
emn1331 reviewed Version 1 -
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Perhaps I may appreciate this more than most, as I am a Minnesotan by birth, and now a resident of Hawaii. My residence in Hawaii being not by choice. Anyway, as you describe the feelings and thoughts as the flakes come down, it instantly brings reminiscence and memories for myself as well. Outstanding piece which illustrates the importance of the little things in life are not always so little.
herblady reviewed Version 1 -
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I found this to be an interesting yet profound way of describing snow. We can look at most anything in the world and find a more deeper meaning. :)
from an Atlantic Canadian who sees lots of snow. :)
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