I know that I am not alone when I fire up my computer in the morning and feel instantly overwhelmed. Mandates, protests, a new variant. Theft, broken hearts, frozen iguanas in Florida. Fires, death, fear.
On the morning of our most recent snowstorm, I stop what I am doing and go outside. It is quiet. It is snowing. It is so beautiful that my heart breaks and then heals itself, the snow stitching up the pain better than a surgeon’s intricate work.
Snow represents something to me that I struggle to put into words. Because being in this business has always been my life and my livelihood, I joke that I see dollar signs instead of snowflakes. But that really isn’t true, and in the quiet of a snowstorm I know that my little joke just covers up the truth.
To me, snow is life. It gives life to our business, to our mountain, and to so many other winter sports. But look deeper, and you’ll see what I see. Snow gives life to happiness. To families being outside together. To rosy cheeks and laughter. Snow is life. And as I stand outside in the chill of the storm, life swirls all around me.
In the craziest of times, there is still peace to be found. I am so grateful to this storm not only because of the snow at our feet, turning the mountain into a land of wonder, but because of the solace I have found.
That is my winter snowstorm wish for all of us. That we may find peace when we seek it, and comfort in an ordinary snowfall.
Amy
Amy S Cutler is a writer who earned her master’s degree in Creative Writing from Goddard College. Her work can be found in Tales to Terrify, wow-women on writing, the Pitkin Review, Wellness Universe and Elephant Journal. Her novel, “A Shadow of Love,” will be released in May of 2022, and can be purchased at AmysHippieHut.com.