winter

The trees here are all coated in ice. When you first look at them, it just looks like the customary snow balanced delicately on the bark, but when you look closer, you can see that each little twig has been preserved in ice. My favorite is a tree on the way to the quad from my dorms; it has lots of little red berries all over it, and the whole thing has been dipped in ice. It twinkles in the sunlight. This is why I love winter. It is so beautiful, and even sometimes surprising to me after almost 21 years.

When Michael and I went home this weekend, the trees lining the interstate were likewise covered in glittering ice. I see this now as a blessing on what was otherwise a hellish trip (two hours turned into five). We saw almost 300 cars in the ditches and stuck on unplowed offramps -- no exaggeration. No wonder so many people hate snow.

However, I wonder if the people who hate snow and ice ever take time to watch the trees sparkle when the light hits just right. I wonder if they ever pause in walking, or are left breathless when they turn a bend on the road on a long trip and see a ravine positively glowing in the sunset.

We have such little respect for this beauty -- it is a thing to be conquered by 4-wheel drive, space heaters, and microfleece linings. The majority of those people stuck in the ditches (who were not driving semis) were piloting nice cars, that were probably excellently equipped for snowy weather.

I often get frustrated with such people, who think they can conquer the discomforts of their lives. They rush around, dirtying snow and getting stuck in ditches. They interrupt scenes of beauty with their hasty driving and exhaust fumes.

Then again, someday not too long from now, the creator or mother earth, whomever you prefer, will send a warmer sun and digging animals and create a muddy mess all his/her/its own.