Winter Wonderland

Snow-kicking Walk

Early one morning a couple of weeks ago I woke up to my phone ringing. It was my friend who lives just a block down my street. We're walking buddies. Actually I was probably awake. I just had a feeling it was cold out there and wanted to draw out this early morning snuggling under my warm, cozy comforter as long as I could. She asked me if I'd looked out my window yet. She's a teacher, so I knew if she was home there must be snow outside. So I crawled out of bed, walked over to my window and opened my shades to a beautiful winter wonderland. She said, let's go walking! I'm beginning to sound like the lines from the story "The Night Before Christmas", where it reads, I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter. Away to my window I flew like a flash, Tore open the shudder and threw up the sash. And something, something on the new fallen snow. O.K. anyway. . . A few minutes later she was at my door.

One of my favorite ways to talk with friends is to walk with them. Conversations flow easily mixed with moments of comfortable silences. As we walked that morning the world around us fell silent. The only sound was the crunch of snow beneath our feet. It was absent of the everyday sounds of rubber hitting the pavement as cars climb the hill in front of my home and the chatter of kids running to catch the school bus at the corner of our block. I walked with a sense of "wonder" that morning at the beautiful picture mother nature had painted for us. As we passed shade covered windows I knew families were probably still tucked under their warm blankets, because for this moment the world had stopped. For this moment - it felt as though it belonged to just me and my friend.

Last week-end my friend moved into her new home they just had built eight miles from my home. I know we'll still walk. We'll just have to work a little harder at it.