On Friday, we got a few inches of snow, which was very exciting and made the ridiculously cold weather a little more bearable. That day, I only had one class in the morning and was not feeling too well (like 99% of campus), so I decided to use my spare time to rest in bed and watch the snow from my window. I actually watched the snow for a solid two hours- which is not particularly remarkable because I often find myself focusing on little things for hours without realizing. This was a good reflection time for me because it was the end of the week, and I was very exhausted. On top of being sick, I was anxious about the track meet that I had to wake up for the next morning. The snow accumulating on the ground seemed to white out all of the stressors of my week.
Anne and I were talking in the room about how the snow didn’t look like it was falling at all, just floating and fluttering like snow in a snow globe. During the 2 hours of snow-gazing from my window, I fell into a Robitussin-induced delirium and imagined myself taking a break from a European ski vacation:
After hours of immobility, I decided that I was not dying and that it was time to rouse my senses. I put on some boots and trekked across campus to pick up a package from the post office. While cross-campus walks are typically burdensome, this one was not. I instantly became Frodo during that snowy mountain scene in Fellowship of the Ring.
Walking through snow is a rare and fascinating experience for me, being from Virginia Beach. We’ve probably had less than 10 major snows during my lifetime- and by major snows, I mean anything that sticks to the ground.
I was entranced by the powdery snow. I ended up walking to the Westhampton Green because I had no desire to go back indoors. I was spinning around aimlessly and alone in the -100 degree weather like a crazy person. Looking around at all the white, snowy plushness was amazing. It was like our whole campus had a surprise White Party like P. Diddy throws each year. It felt liberating to be completely disconnected from my phone and other technology- it was just me and the snow (actually, texting with gloves was just difficult).
I guess I had two reflection spots this week: one was my bed and the other was the Green. They were both very important for me to reflect and escape to a magical winter wonderland. It was great that I ended up feeling well and was able to enjoy the snow first hand, not just from my bed. I am a true believer that reconnecting with nature is an effective way to relieve stress. It was a truly wonderful thing to experience the snow the way that I did. 🙂