It is snowing in Kansas (real snow, not the baby snow that fell in Texas, but nowhere near as intense as my Canadian friends). Thankfully the blizzard missed us, but we got just enough snow to fully cover the ground and make everything majestically beautiful. I intended to go out just to snap a few pictures, but I just kept walking.
There is oh so much to love about the snow. The sound of snow crunching underneath my boots has to be one of the best sounds ever! Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. I love how everything is transformed by the snow. I walk this route all the time, and I know every tree and bush on the path, but I am always amazed by the snow. Everything from the leafless trees to the pines trees are snow covered. I know that underneath the snow are the same trees that were there the day before, the tree has remained unchanged even though my perception of it has changed.
It reminds me of the seasons of life and of one of my favorite meditations, the mountain meditation. When you think of a mountain, what do you think of? I think of a rock that is bigger than life. It is a grand, breathtakingly beautiful structure that is grounded in the Earth. As the seasons change and as people hike up and down the paths, the essence of the mountain remains the same. It is unwavering. I often think of how I can be strong and grounded like the mountain. Grounded regardless of the ever changing demands from the outside world. For me, this means when things change in my external world, it does not have to derail my entire life. This is not to say that life does not affect me. The ups and downs of life affects us all. But the strength to remain grounded even during challenging times is an amazing skill and the mountain is a perfect example of this!
I am off to play in the snow. Bye!
