Happiness is a warm keyboard=I Live to and Love to Write

It has been awhile since I’ve posted my thoughts here, not for lack of thoughts just lack of time…or fleeing time I should say.

Time is constant but not always amenable to my desires.

The days are shorter in the midst of January and although my area of the world will not see snow and ice, it is cooler at times and begs at least a sweater if you venture out. For me, winter brings introspective thoughts with the darker, cooler months of the year and I've been a bit less productive in the ways of putting words to paper….but not for lack of trying.

Winter in these warmer climes is different than where I grew up and I miss the smell of snow in the air on a grey cloudy day, for me it was invigorating… and you truly can smell snow in the air; it’s a hint of ice when you breathe it.

Maybe, I feel this way because New York winters were a part of my childhood and that's why I feel alive in the winter winds and loved walking in the snow…listening to it crunch under foot while bundled up against winter’s icy breath.

I think we all equate back to our early days, to the memories that formed us, made us either happy or sad. Childhood is where we found ways to comfort and inspire our spirits and learned to adjust to that big, at times frightening, world around us. Those good or bad moments formed opinions, reactions and impressions that will be in the blueprint of who we are forever. And in that line of thought…New York winters will be my standard for what winter should be.

Here on this pretend winter day…temp hovering in the sixties…I miss walking on snow covered sidewalks, side stepping bundled up snow people with scarves wrapped around their faces, eyes peeking out above the wool and gloved hands holding loved ones. I miss coffee shops filled to capacity…patrons huddled over warm brews and store windows etched with Jack Frost’s art as I enjoy the warm steam heat within and watch the icy, cold winds without.

As a child, winter snows beckoned me outside to see nature’s chilly artwork.

The trees sparkling in the park, laden with fresh, fallen snow and appearing angelic with branches raised to the heavens set against a backdrop of untouched, pristine whiteness. The thicker the snow fall the quieter the atmosphere as you stood cocooned in a world almost devoid of sound and color; it was indescribably magnificent.

When snow plows cleared the roads they formed thrilling toboggan hills for our sledding delight and as kids, we took full advantage of the free ski resort amenity and the patches of ice that formed on walkways became our personal ice skating rink.

Car shapes outlined in untouched snow crystals looked like modern art and the people passing by in their wool coats covered in snow, were the animated snowmen in the background.

This imaginative world of my childhood winters is purely mine; I’ve no idea how my friends saw it, though I’d hazard a guess, by all the shared fun on those snow covered streets and parks, it’d be close to mine.

I’m sure others will have a different take on what they love about the winter season and not see what I do when I think of winters in New York…my New York of yesterday that is; this year there has been no snow in that northern state and winters are changing everywhere, due to the warming trends of climate change.

It is not to say I don’t like a warm summer day basking in the sun; I do, very much.The warmth of a summer day is so restful, lazy and replenishing…quite different from a walk on a cold, snowy day.

So, as I sit here, in the warm winter climate of North Florida, I rejoice in the unusual dip in temperature on a sunless, grey day and I’m probably the only one who feels awakened by the dreariness. But it’s not the day…it’s the feelings I’m remembering.

We are a continuum of thoughts that stretch from childhood to present day, changing slightly with new experiences, but still seeking solace in the warm feelings we’ve formed, even if sometimes they're covered in snow.

Thanks for sharing this walk down a snowy day’s memories with me; I hope you enjoyed it with a cup of hot coco…and as always…thanks for listening.