I take in a deep breath of the cool crisp air, and it feels as though I am sipping on the world’s finest champagne. It fills my lungs and I can feel the bubbles go all the way down. I move my foot and put it down, and hear the crunch of the new fallen snow being compressed under my shoe. What a beautiful sound. The sound then disappears in the cold thin air, yet lingers within me for a while…
I take in a deep breath of the cool crisp air, and it feels as though I am sipping on the world’s finest champagne. It fills my lungs and I can feel the bubbles go all the way down. I move my foot and put it down, and hear the crunch of the new fallen snow being compressed under my shoe. What a beautiful sound. The sound then disappears in the cold thin air, yet lingers within me for a while…
The sound of silence around me is overwhelming. It envelopes me on all sides, it covers me like a thick blanket. I hear nothing except my breath taking in the cold air. I tuck my hands a little deeper in my pockets and walk out into the yard. Crunch, crunch, crunch, and the sound disappears once again into the cold air.
I look up at the dark sky, and become one with the heavens. I can soar among the stars. I look over to the lake and can glide above the sea of sparkling diamonds. I look to the woods and become one with the wind, gently gliding past the trees and snow covered branches, making them slowly wave to and fro. I slowly become less and less aware of my body. I am becoming at one with my surroundings. I am becoming the surrounding itself. Nothing is left now but my soul, all I see is alive, it is all part of me, and I am part of it. I have become nature itself.
This is a gift to me. It is not a gift I can touch or hold. The gift is all around me. I am standing in it. I am the gift. It seems as if I am the only one on this world, in the universe. The entire world is within my realm right now. There is nothing else. The moon, the new snow, the dark sky, the towering pines, they are all at one with me right now. We are all separate, yet we are all the same. Standing here, I am part of this creation, this surreal landscape that has been created just for me. I have become an integral part of this landscape.
I move my foot again. Crunch. The sound drifts heavenly and lingers within me for a while. I take in another breath of cool champagne. With each breath, it is as if my body is healing itself. Cold, crisp, clean air, nature’s medication.
Standing perfectly still I close my eyes. Now I become aware of something else. Standing there with my eyes closed, I can still see the landscape around me. I am now looking with my soul. We don’t have to look to see. We don’t have to hear to listen. Eyes closed, I still see the beauty around me, and I am listening to the silence. Lingering quietly in the moment for a while, I am no longer me; I have become part of the scenery. We have finally become one in the same; standing in my yard, I am a forest of one.
I now slowly become again aware of myself standing in our yard. The cold of the northern night gently caresses my cheeks, reminding me that the northern night is reserved for nature and all its own glory, and I am just a visitor, who after a while needs the warmth we have created for us next to a warm, glowing fireplace in the house. It is as if I am retreating back from the moon, and the sky, and the woods, becoming myself once again. I turn around and see the house. There is a warm orange glow bathing the snow outside the windows. The fireplace is flickering, making the trees in our yard look as if they are dancing to an unheard tune. There is a wisp of gray smoke from the chimney, accompanied occasionally by a few glowing embers from the burning pine, gently curling towards the heavens in the thin, cold air.
I see Judy standing in the window looking out at me. With a smile, and a gentle wave of her hand, she fills my heart with the same warmth that is radiating from the house. Suddenly I am no longer alone. Me, out in the cold, her, inside in the warmth. This is also her world, her world to share with me. There is a stark difference here. The cold dark northern night, and the glowing warmth of the house, both gifts I can now revel in. I am so thankful for these gifts I have. This is truly my world, our world. What is your gift? Look around and try to become one with nature. Be part of your surroundings. You can also become the gift itself.
