Beautiful Things
Lucy Watson
Writer, Editor, and Researcher -- At the Intersection of Ideas, Information, and Words
There's a scientific reason for the quiet that accompanies snow -- something about air pockets, sound absorption... There's also a scientific reason for the glorious colors of a sunrise. I am aware of both but see them as secondary to the main purpose of both snowfalls and sunrises: beauty.
It was the quiet that awakened me early this morning -- either that, or my subconscious prodded me like an inner alarm to look out my window and see what progress had been made on the way to our predicted 8 inches of snow.
Of course, snow must be contended with, and when a vast amount is forecast over an extended period of time, the mind goes to a plan. An approximately 18-hour storm, with the heaviest amounts starting at roughly the halfway point --
Do I attack the front walk and sidewalk at 3-hour intervals? ("No, you do not -- you did this in a storm last year, and it was overkill.")
Do I wait till the very end, when it will be dark and cold(er) and there will be so much of the white stuff? ("Do you even have to ask?")
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Do I keep in mind the likelihood that some one of my neighbors will anonymously stop by after the storm and make quick work of the shoveling? ("You could do that... but in presuming on their kindness, you will feel shiftless and then guilty. Besides, admit it -- handling your own snow gives you an odd feeling of satisfaction: you're being a Very Useful adult, and you're physically fit enough to shovel snow. Err on the side of your self-esteem. Also, under no circumstances are you to shovel your driveway. Yes, I know your neighbor always shovels his, but this is expressly the HOA's responsibility -- it's what you pay them for. Besides, you don't have to do everything your neighbor does. He shouts colorful insults at the Packers and the Brewers when their games aren't going well -- are you going to take that up, too? Case closed.")
Part of me wanted nothing more than to climb back into bed and burrow down under the warm blankets with my lovely book. But the urge to get up and go outside was relentless. So I threw on snow-shoveling clothes and was putting on my boots when I saw a rabbit outside, trying to stay warm while she nibbled on grasses in the backyard.
Out front, there was probably no more than an inch of snow, that wonderfully fluffy variety that is light as air. I had the front walk and sidewalk cleared in less than 10 minutes, without breaking a sweat, and came back inside feeling Very Useful and satisfied. I'll need to go back once more before the end of the storm (when I will go out for a final time), but in the meantime there is the quiet snow falling outside, there is a rabbit, there is coffee, and there is my lovely book.
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