A Snowy Alberta Winter Afternoon

"Leaving work today, I was greeted with the sight of snowflakes dancing their way down to the ground. The snowstorm that we had been hearing about all day had finally announced it's arrival. There is a stillness to this Alberta afternoon. A quiet silence cocooning the traffic and the world around me. Music drifts it's way out of my CD player, mellow tunes reflecting the scene outside, the gentle beginnings of the approaching storm. As I weave my way through the traffic, heading for home, my mind wanders aimlessly from one captured thought to another, quietly meandering. It's a peaceful moment. A deep breath in my day.

The heater continues to fan warmth around me, the warm breeze in sharp contrast to the cool whiteness outside my window. The snowflakes gather together, holding fast to one another, creating layers that cover everything with cool white frosting. The rhythmic swish of the windshield wipers back and forth becomes a steady back drop to the music of the afternoon.

Cars around me dot the landscape with color and movement, a silent movie in play.

I drive down my street to the warm welcome of my house, smoke drifting from the rooftop. The garage door closes behind me, and as I make my way to my front door, the brisk cool air caresses my face, and for a brief moment I revel in this snowy Alberta afternoon, and marvel at the beauty found in the large snowflakes, mini clouds falling slowly around me, and onto me, fringing my hair and face with their presence.

I know that it won't be long before I tire of the winter days, and begin to bemoan winter's presence, but for this brief period in time, I savor it. A beautiful Alberta winter afternoon."

I wrote this a few weeks back, and as I predicted, I now look out at the snowy whiteness with despair. I search the online airfares, my own make believe world, where money is no issue, and traveling to a warm destination, is just a matter of opening up my wallet and handing over my credit card information. But reality always intrudes on my fantasies, and I leave the websites with a feeling of loss. Winter has lost it's enthrallment for me, and I look to the months ahead with frustration and impatience, knowing that our Alberta winters never pay short visits. Sitting in my heated home, I feel the chill grip me, and wonder when I will ever feel warm again, and then I read this piece and remember that moment with clarity, the residual joy of the moment breaking into my winter doldrums. It reminds me to savor each moment as a gift, no matter what its wrapping, because each moment, each breath, is a gift. It's a refrain I know I will have to repeat to myself over and over again, but it will be worth the retelling. It's a reminder to view nature's paintings in a richer way, and to enjoy them and experience them fully, for we are a part of this great big canvas, and the different scenes that play out upon it.

So my advice to all of you suffering from winter blues, is to find a moment to savor in it, capture the joy of it, and remember that it's a gift. And so in every Alberta winter day that I have, I will try to have my moments to hold onto, to tide me through and to remember joy.