Snow

What is it about snow that's so fascinating? I've been thinking about this since our snow day last week and I think I know why snow is so different from other weather.

It makes things stop.

Snow itself is in a still state. It just sits there, doing nothing, until it gets warm enough to melt. And it is beautiful when it is doing nothing.

So it makes us do the same thing. School gets canceled. People stay inside. People spend time with their family instead of rushing around.

Rain moves around. It comes down from the sky and runs down the street and gets everything wet and droopy.

The sun makes things grow. It shines down and people want to go outside and run around and see the plants get bigger. The sun gives people energy.

But snow comes down and stays. It doesn't move into gutters. It freezes things. It puts them in a still state of being.

Just like it puts humans in a more still state of being.

We're usually so busy rushing around that we don't notice things. We notice snow because it isn't busy rushing around anywhere. It sits.

And when we go outside in it, we have to slow down and stop because otherwise we'll fall. When we're warm inside and we pass by a window, we stop because we're breathtaken by the beauty. We avoid venturing outside because it is too dangerous. So we cancel plans, we stay indoors, and we stop.

The power of a little snow.