18th December 2016 will go down in my personal history as my first fresh snowfall ever. Also something (and someone) that inspired me to re-visit this side of mine after an eternity.
So what was so special about it?
It made me happy - when I needed it the most.
Staying away from family is hard, but coming back to loneliness and coping with it is harder. And snow made it just a tiny bit easier.
That morning I woke up to a soft swooshing melody (thankfully so unlike Vancouver's incessant pitter-patter) and opened the blinds to a magical whiteness. I was stuck to the window for a good 10 minutes before my fingers chilled up and I had to reluctantly withdraw. The snow radiated positivity and won over three dangerous elements that were ready to induce lethargy - the temperature outside, the warmth of my room and the fact that it was a Sunday morning!
Carefully treading on my sneakers (and I found out that Mumbai sneakers rock even in snow!), I set out to greet this white beauty. From the first crunch of the fresh powdered snow to the sight of multiple snowmen - I could barely keep my head in the big furry hood of my parka and kept gaping in every possible direction - much like an excited bird! Just like we appreciate light more on a dark day, despite the fact that all our mornings start with coffee - the coffee on a snowy day is definitely the one we all will cherish the most. The snow inspired a whole new liveliness in me despite the general depression of North American winters. I was suddenly thankful for everything - and mostly the fact that Vancouver public transit was up and running despite the fact that it was SNOWING IN VANCOUVER. More importantly, I was thankful for great friends who would brave the cold to come see me, for the festive feeling after getting free fresh hot scones from the local bakery, for the lovely and beautiful Christmas mass and wishing each other peace. The holiday lights were prettier, street choirs more musical and there were holiday sales (the latter did not help me in any way find snow boots - apparently I was too late and there was a shortage in the city!) all around. Also the fact that human kind is warm-blooded!
Shifting from the mundane albiet important snow joys, why else do I want to write a whole blog post about it?
As the first snowflakes settled and melted on my face, it felt as if I was back to the soft caresses of my mother's hand. I slipped and fell and it cushioned me much like my father trying to shield me from every major fall in life. And it made weird funny faces at me each time I encountered a new snowman - allowing me to relive my childhood with my brother.
It felt like family, it gave me a sense of home away from home.
There is nothing more magical than finding someone close to you, someone in whom you find solace, someone with whom you forge a connection without really understanding why - someone who lets you know that they got your back in a new turbulent phase of life on this other side of the planet. They make life just a little easier, bringing small cherished moments of smiles and joys and chasing the blues away as if they were never there in the first place.
After my encounter with snow - I realized that it is the perfect celebration of every unique relationship we have in life. Just like every snowflake is a unique creation in itself, snow resembles all the people in life who make us feel unique, special and loved. It can be soft, hard and slushy all at once much like anyone who can adapt any form to be there for us regardless of the situation. The impeccable white exterior with air gaps adding to the snow's fluffiness teaches us to strive for perfection while cherishing our imperfections at the same time. It can be an icy taskmaster teaching us to tread carefully in life as well as a soft pillow that heralds beautiful dreams.
It can be all that you like - definitely all that I like, cherish and look up to in my life (much like Lenka's "everything at once"). In the end, most importantly, it starts making everything more Christmassy and is a gift in itself.
It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas indeed.
So what was so special about it?
It made me happy - when I needed it the most.
Staying away from family is hard, but coming back to loneliness and coping with it is harder. And snow made it just a tiny bit easier.
That morning I woke up to a soft swooshing melody (thankfully so unlike Vancouver's incessant pitter-patter) and opened the blinds to a magical whiteness. I was stuck to the window for a good 10 minutes before my fingers chilled up and I had to reluctantly withdraw. The snow radiated positivity and won over three dangerous elements that were ready to induce lethargy - the temperature outside, the warmth of my room and the fact that it was a Sunday morning!
Carefully treading on my sneakers (and I found out that Mumbai sneakers rock even in snow!), I set out to greet this white beauty. From the first crunch of the fresh powdered snow to the sight of multiple snowmen - I could barely keep my head in the big furry hood of my parka and kept gaping in every possible direction - much like an excited bird! Just like we appreciate light more on a dark day, despite the fact that all our mornings start with coffee - the coffee on a snowy day is definitely the one we all will cherish the most. The snow inspired a whole new liveliness in me despite the general depression of North American winters. I was suddenly thankful for everything - and mostly the fact that Vancouver public transit was up and running despite the fact that it was SNOWING IN VANCOUVER. More importantly, I was thankful for great friends who would brave the cold to come see me, for the festive feeling after getting free fresh hot scones from the local bakery, for the lovely and beautiful Christmas mass and wishing each other peace. The holiday lights were prettier, street choirs more musical and there were holiday sales (the latter did not help me in any way find snow boots - apparently I was too late and there was a shortage in the city!) all around. Also the fact that human kind is warm-blooded!
Shifting from the mundane albiet important snow joys, why else do I want to write a whole blog post about it?
As the first snowflakes settled and melted on my face, it felt as if I was back to the soft caresses of my mother's hand. I slipped and fell and it cushioned me much like my father trying to shield me from every major fall in life. And it made weird funny faces at me each time I encountered a new snowman - allowing me to relive my childhood with my brother.
It felt like family, it gave me a sense of home away from home.
There is nothing more magical than finding someone close to you, someone in whom you find solace, someone with whom you forge a connection without really understanding why - someone who lets you know that they got your back in a new turbulent phase of life on this other side of the planet. They make life just a little easier, bringing small cherished moments of smiles and joys and chasing the blues away as if they were never there in the first place.
After my encounter with snow - I realized that it is the perfect celebration of every unique relationship we have in life. Just like every snowflake is a unique creation in itself, snow resembles all the people in life who make us feel unique, special and loved. It can be soft, hard and slushy all at once much like anyone who can adapt any form to be there for us regardless of the situation. The impeccable white exterior with air gaps adding to the snow's fluffiness teaches us to strive for perfection while cherishing our imperfections at the same time. It can be an icy taskmaster teaching us to tread carefully in life as well as a soft pillow that heralds beautiful dreams.
It can be all that you like - definitely all that I like, cherish and look up to in my life (much like Lenka's "everything at once"). In the end, most importantly, it starts making everything more Christmassy and is a gift in itself.
It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas indeed.
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