Thursday, February 14, 2008

Valentine Surprise


Last night I went to let the dog out and was shocked to see big, juicey wet flakes tumbling through the moonlight. In this city, we see snow very rarely. In fact, the news called it “snow shock” because no one knew it was coming. Within minutes the ground was covered and we spent the next few hours watching the magic show as buckets of glitter fell from the sky; swirling in gusts of wind and piling up on cars, bushes and lawns in a thick, fluffy shimmering blanket. We were inside our very own snow globe.

Besides covering our little corner of the world in white, I was most enchanted with the idea that it was unexpected. When did I stop expecting the unexpected?

Well, in a sense, I haven’t, it’s just that when I think of the unexpected, I think of sudden disasters…car accidents, freak lighting strikes, bombings, a bridge collapsing. You get my point, basically, all the things brought into our livingrooms and minds by the daily news.

The thing I realized is we try to make our world so predictable--so padded, strapped in, secured--that we think we have a handle on what happens within the span of our day. But, then something falls from the sky and we realize we don't have control. We have illusion.

So, the real question is…when did I stop expecting the unexpected to be soft and beautiful and kind?

Expect the unexpected. Sometimes it is truly a gift.

Happy Valentines Day. Love, the Universe.

3 comments:

Tia Nevitt said...

What a nice post. For me it was mist dancing on the water of the river early in the morning. And yes, the mist looks like it's dancing. It only happens once or twice per winter, and it happened today.

Anonymous said...

All I can do is laugh at this! I lived in Atlanta one year when it snowed, and the entire city shut down. You would've thought it was a national emergency, the way people were acting.

There are some areas of Colorado that have gotten more than 30' of snow recently. How's that for comparison?

Now quick, run out there and make snow angels!

Shawn said...

They don't call it a blanket of snow for no reason ... something about it -- as messy as it can become -- it is soothing and comforting. Not in a confined kind of way, anyway -- which happens on day 4 and 5. I should know as we've been getting our fair share here this year. One thing is certain, you will not get it in Florida!