For me, snow has always meant a magical beginning. As the first snowflakes fall, it’s as if an invisible brush is painting the world with subtle strokes. In the grey, barren November, this whiteness brings hope. I feel as if nature pauses for a moment to take a deep breath, and encourages us to do the same.
As I look at the snow-covered silence of my garden, I am reminded of the snowy days of my childhood. The happy, carefree snowman-building, the sledding that even the dog enjoyed, the giggles that, when I think back on it, almost seem like imagination. I didn’t think then how quickly the snow would melt, how fleeting that pure, untouched beauty was. I now know that this is perhaps why I love it so much: it reminds me that every moment is unique and unrepeatable.
When was the last time you rolled around in the snow, carefree and laughing? When was the last time you allowed yourself to be a child? Of course, for many of us as adults, this seems completely strange. Or if not, we rarely or never dare to do it. We cling too tightly to the “what’s appropriate” rules, and the question of “what others think” is too deeply ingrained in us. We don’t dare to get involved in the things that could really release the tension inside us.
But snow – and life – does not wait. Moments come and go, as the snow melts, disappearing without a trace into the grey of the earth. The untouched beauty, the freshness it brings, lasts only as long as we let it. What if, right now, in this moment, you let the snow remind you of what you’ve forgotten? To rediscover that part of yourself that laughed carefree, curious, heartily? What if, on the first snowy day of winter, you allowed yourself that long-forgotten sense of liberation? What if today you could try again, just for a moment?
Go in, jump in, lie in, or roll around as you please. You’ll see, snow and silence are one. That special, all-encompassing silence that seems intent on silencing the world, but also amplifies the voice of your soul. Perhaps it’s to hear your own thoughts better, or to discover how peaceful simple existence can be.
I often wish for this silence around me in the hustle and bustle of everyday life. For me, the calm brought by snow is like a door opening briefly, leading to another world. For the other world to which snow leads is the happy life we all long for, but many of us cannot find. A world where things are simpler, clearer, and where the joy of the moment is more important than the pressing tasks of a hectic everyday life. And yet this world is within us, hidden deep within us, like the earth hidden under the snow. We just forgot how to find it.
Snow reminds us that happiness does not necessarily lie in the big things. It’s not the perfectly constructed life, the goals achieved or the recognition of others that bring it, but those small, perhaps seemingly insignificant moments when we are able to stop and just be. The clarity of the snow sends the message that sometimes it is enough to slow down, to let go of our burdens and let the silence speak for us.
But why is this world so hard to find? Maybe because you made it too complicated. You’ve overthought what it takes to be happy, when in fact happiness is always there – in nature, in a sincere laugh, in a child’s movement. Snow brings that back: the chance to start again, to start afresh, to find what you’re looking for in the simple things.
How about using the silence that comes with snow to reflect on what makes you truly happy? Not what others think it should. Not what fits. It’s what makes your soul smile. What would it be like to open that imaginary door now, at the beginning of winter, and let yourself into this other world?
Perhaps this is the real message of the snow: don’t be afraid to look for happiness, even if the first step seems a little unusual. To not be afraid to laugh, to play, to rediscover the simple joy that a memory from childhood can bring. To dare to stop and enjoy the moment before it melts – like snow.
I know that snow can’t change the problems of our lives, yet somehow I believe that there is something in the whiteness that makes feelings clearer, simpler. As if every difficulty is a little easier. For me, snow is not only a natural phenomenon, but also a reminder that beauty, silence and purity still exist. Sometimes all we need is to open our hearts and look out at the world – and ourselves – with open eyes.
