Let It Snow

There are times when no matter how hard we struggle against something we don't want in our lives, that something persists and needs to run its course. What I've found to be extremely productive is to accept...not approve or resign myself to what's happening, but accept what happens and all the feelings that go with it, be they mine or somebody else's, while nurturing a never-ending desire to change for the better, be the change internal or external.

The more I accept, the easier it seems to climb that Mountain. Recently I went to a skiing resort not far from my current home. Having lived on a tiny island all my life where mountians and snow were alien entitities I had only ever read about it books, seeing and touching snow for the first time was an awesome experience. The maginificence of the Mountain left me breathless.

The sight of all that whiteness covering the immense giant to its peak clogged the air in my throat and helped me approach the might of nature with the respect it deserves. I couldn't help thinking that if the Mountain saw fit, and being an active volcano, it could have started rumbling and scattered us far and wide with terror in our hearts. But the Etna was lenient, might I say benevolent towards us.

The magic began with the first fall of snow, the first I had ever witnessed in my entire life. Each snowflake had a different design. Wonder filled my heart at their exquisite, tridimensional beauty, coupled with reverence for the Artist. When I touched them, they disintegrated. Like all things of beauty, they only lasted so long.

My initial fearfulness melted into awe. By the time I had scaled the slopes a dozen times and careened down on my red, plastic sledge screaming like crazy and laughing my head off at my friend's antics, admiration gave way to sincere affection.

There will be other trips to the Mountain, but this one will remain in my memory forever.

I accepted the mountain and it showed me its good side. There are always two sides to a coin. Sooner or later, life reveals both and I'm free to choose which one to follow.

I dedicate this post to Jade.