-J. B. Priestley
– John Burnside
I took a walk in the first snowfall of the season yesterday after work: "The first fall of snow is not only an event, it is a magical event. You go to bed in one kind of a world and wake up in another quite different, and if this is not enchantment then where is it to be found?" -J. B. Priestley “Snow isn’t just pretty. It also cleanses our world and our senses, not just of the soot and grime of a mining town, but also of a kind of weary familiarity, a taken-for-granted quality to which our eyes are all too susceptible.” – John Burnside I had a lovely walk in the quietly falling snow, through trees and along streets where children were whooping and laughing, throwing snowballs and building lopsided snowmen. When I got home, I heated some soup for supper and put on a pot of coffee, watching the flakes hitting against the window panes as darkness fell. As I sipped my coffee, I checked Facebook and smiled at pictures a couple of my sisters had posted of their kids playing in the snow and then, as I scrolled down, saw a post from someone who used to be a coworker of sorts. To be honest, I wasn't a fan; she was the 'words are violence', 'tolerance for everything except an opposing opinion' type. At one point, she got offended by something completely inoffensive and told the general manager that if it wasn't changed, she'd "walk". When asked for my advice on how to deal with her ultimatum I said, "Tell her to go pound sand." Regrettably my advice was not followed and she got her way, only to leave a couple of months later anyway for another job. In any case, while still working there she friend requested me and I reluctantly accepted then promptly muted her and forgot about it. This must have recently expired, as I saw her post yesterday which certainly gave me pause. It was all about how she gets seasonal depression and hates fall and winter; this is the "sad season"... she was literally in tears all day because of the snow... "absolutely gutted". Now, I know I'm not a particularly empathetic person: I blame my family for this. We're very close mind you, and would do anything for each other, but all nine siblings were raised in a distinctly unsentimental way. Mum and Dad, while loving us, had neither the time nor inclination to tolerate nonsense. Weeping all day over snow would have resulted in being given "something to cry for." So I tend not to have a lot of patience for adults being devastated by trivial things and then dramatically emoting about them all over social media. My instinct is to tell them to pull themselves together and exercise some self control. In any case, she didn't need my sympathy; she had all kinds of people in the comments agreeing that it was a terrible thing to have to live through and suggesting coping mechanisms for dealing with the trauma of snow... in winter... in Canada. Better buckle up, buttercup. Mostly though, I had trouble wrapping my head around the notion that the lightly falling snow, transforming the bleak November landscape into a thing of beauty, could drive anyone to near hysterics... it's so pretty.
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About MeI'm a lover of good books, classic movies, and well-written shows (as well as some pretty cheesy ones, to be completely honest). Categories
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