Everyday Canvas

Walking on Snow

Prompt:
"There's just something beautiful about walking in snow that nobody else has walked on. It makes you believe you're special." ` Carol Rifka Brunt
Have you ever been the first footsteps in the snow after a storm? Do you remember if you felt special? Do you remember the fresh smell?

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Have I ever been the one with the first footsteps in the snow? Well, of course. Many times over.

Years ago when we lived on Long Island, NY, we had a two-acre backyard, and when the snow covered it and everything else, I had to walk on it, if not for anything but to get the wood for the fireplace from the shed. I have to say, despite the cold, those experiences were once in a million; especially, when the full moon rose over the all-white landscape at night. Eerily beautiful, I should say!

When I walked on that fresh snow, every step I took left a mark, a signature of my presence, with my footprints creating a narrative, a unique path that narrated my trek through the snow. This freshly blazed trail was a fleeting monument to my walking through that path, as it was inevitably erased by time, wind, and more falling snow.

The sensation of fresh snow underfoot was always a textural delight. It could be powdery and light, or densely packed and crunchy, offering a satisfying resistance with each step. The chill of the snow seeping through my boots woke up my senses, reminding me of the winter's cold reality. I know if I had to do that very thing at this time, in my old age, I wouldn't dare do it. Where I live now there's no snow and therefore, less art.

Walking on that fresh snow and breathing its clear, clean scent was like experiencing a living art piece – it was an ephemeral, dynamic, and interactive experience. It was a moment of peace and tranquility when I felt I was part of something bigger, something very beautiful as if it were a silent dialogue between me and the untouched beauty of that winter landscape.


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