For the Love of Snow

The soft stillness of snowfall, the gentle pitter-patter of rain, the excitement of the rising river. This past week’s weather has me thinking about how weather always seems to excite us.

Each winter with the first snow, it’s like the first time we’d ever seen it, or heard that quietness in the air. We run outside, filled with energy and wonder, tongues out to catch snowflakes. Maybe we’ll push powder into balls to form likenesses of ourselves. Forever we are marveled by both the simplicity and ultimate grandeur of Mother Nature just doing what she does best. 

It’s easy to get mixed up in all that’s going on with the world, with social media, your friends, their lives, even with what your neighbor is doing. And it might be uncomfortable for some to feel and be only in one place — this present moment. As lovers of outdoor adventures, we can attest how captivating being forced into “the now” can be. It’s sought after so much, we might even call it addicting. But when we think about it a little bit deeper, what we find so captivating is the connection that we feel with the untamed wilderness, with those we are sharing our experiences with, and to ourselves.

Whether you’re braving the next roaring rapid on your Kern River trip, held steady to a rock face, or feeling the rhythm of your boots against the earth beneath you, being in this present moment helps remind us of an almost primal sense of knowing, of connecting with ourselves, each other, and our environment. 

So take a moment and go outside. Breathe in the crispness of winter. Feel a renewed sense of wonder, a gentle spark for what’s building and rising in the future. Most of all I hope that you enjoy this moment. Because this moment is your life.