To appreciate the beauty of a snowflake, it is necessary to stand out in the cold. - Aristotle
He may have been born in 384 BC, but Aristotle's wisdom still rings true today, even in the simplest, most obvious statement. Perhaps I might share a little everyday wisdom of my own, simple enough yet not always so obvious, especially for those who have not paused to make their own such discovery.
I was born and raised in the Northeast and can honestly say I love all four seasons here in Upstate NY. I recognize that I'm able to love every season partly because I can escape summer's sweltering heat in the comfort of air conditioning, and retirement allows me to stay inside my warm house when the outdoors is so frigid it feels like your face will fall off. Some might say that that's cheating and I'm not sure they're wrong.
Winter can be a long and even depressing stretch of time for many. Clouds seem to prevail most days and last winter wasn't the most beautiful I've seen, mostly lacking snow to brighten the muddy, bland landscape. For someone like me, always searching for pretty images to capture, it was a long and at times difficult season. I vowed that this winter I would focus on the joys of winter - both outside my window and indoors where being housebound provides extra time for long-overdue projects. Hopefully, I'll get through in better spirits than last winter.
Well, December was exactly the sort of winter I long for - cold and snowy, a photo waiting to be captured everywhere I looked. A few road trips to our favorite destinations resulted in hundreds of photos that I'd be able to share over the next several weeks as well as a lesson we could all benefit from. Some of these photos were different from any I've ever taken - mostly because I hadn't been at the right place at the right time and ultimately because they could only be captured if I left my cozy, warm house. Some days that simple task is more daunting than others but like so many winter enthusiasts know - there are rewards for braving the cold. My parents and grandparents were hardy ice fishermen braving the cold on the frozen Saratoga Lake, Lake George and long before that, Lake Champlain. My parents also snow shoed and snowmobiled. As Elsa in Frozen, they would probably say, "the cold didn't bother me anyway". I can't say I share their enthusiasm for winter sports, but from the cozy warmth of my heated passenger seat, the beauty of winter is mine for the asking and the rewards for that small effort were more than worth the effort.
Winter can be long. It can be brutal for those who have to navigate outside the confines of their warm homes. It can be dreary and depressing; that is for darn sure. Ask anyone who struggles with the effects of Seasonal Affective Disorder. But....if we try, there is something positive to be gotten from opening our eyes and minds to what these cold months have to offer.
So whether you get in your car once the roads clear and soak up the snow covered landscape, or just enjoy the local feathered lunch crowd....winter has something beautiful to offer if we just make an effort to notice. These men seemed to be enjoying an afternoon of ice fishing on Mill Pond at Grafton Lakes State Park.
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