Snow and mountains

Day before yesterday it started snowing. Slow at first, then fast and thick - big, fluffy flakes and lots of 'em so it was difficult to see. I woke up yesterday to piles and piles of snow on everything. And it was still snowing. So i went to work (i got a temporary job at a christmas tree lot a couple of blocks away) and spent the morning shoveling and pushing snow. It was fun, because shoveling is so ridiculous (it all melted today anyway). Shoveling is satisfying, partially because its necessary only at specific moments. And it wasn't that cold, because i was moving all the time. But now the cold has set in, and today it was like the snow gave way to the cold. It started colding?

The cold is SO cold, its breathtaking. Literally. Its maddening, like a mosquito incessantly buzzing in your ear. I think to myself, how can this be, and my bones start shaking. I can't BE in this. I can't be...calm, because i'm hyperventilating trying not to freeze. Draw a breath in, and cold sears the inside of your nose and creeps into your lungs. I cough. Breathing out produces puffs of smoke, visible vapor. But somehow, we manage through it.

But with the cold came clear skies, and sky opened up to show off the gorgeous mountains. When i first got back to Colorado, i was awe-struck with the mountains. I looked up, and even though i've seen a similar view so many times before, i was amazed by their beauty. Now, with snow on, the mountains take on this ethereal quality, and broadcast a special, majestic presence that commands respect. The sun is going down, and the sky is lit bright fading blue while the mountains loom in front of the light, dressed in snow.

There is no need to second-guess myself, since i was never sure of what i was doing in the first place. All there is to do is continue on, guess anew at each fork in the road. Just show up when the band starts playing, when the mountains switch on their backlight in snowy glory. Its a sure thing.