The Arrival of Winter’s Chill
It is dawn on a cold winter morning, a sharp contrast to the days prior when temperatures soared to nearly sixty degrees. Now, water droplets—frozen mid-flight—fall from the darkened heavens above. Each one is unique and intricate, with a center surrounded by six crystalline arms. Their architecture depends on dust, humidity, and wind.
Some snowflakes are large and fluffy, almost cotton-like, floating peacefully to the ground, adding softness and tranquility to the night. Others are carried by furious winds, hardened and sharp, pelting the naked face of dawn. This morning, the snow is dry, crisp, and crunchy as it swirls under the streetlight’s glow on Eighth Avenue.
The Transformation of Water
The raindrops transform—they diverge, differentiate, and become utterly unique. When their featherlike frozen limbs touch the warm asphalt pavement, they melt, turning back into water droplets, mingling with all the others to form icy bonds.
The Promise of Spring
Soon, spring will arrive.
The season of white snow, bare branches, long shadows, and early evenings will yield to the earth’s gentle tilt, warming the ground more with each passing day. Frozen will give way to flowing. Subtle changes, invisible through winter, will begin to reveal themselves. The seed of an idea, fallen to the ground last autumn, will awaken, sending roots deep into the moist soil beneath the snow. Warmth will return.
Growth Beneath the Surface
The seed will split in time, and new life will form, nourished by the packet of food encased in its shell. Its roots will stretch downward, seeking sustenance in decayed leaves and soil millions of years in the making. Above the surface, a tender green stalk will pierce through the lingering snow. A stem will follow, then branches, then leaves—each stretching out like a snowflake’s crystalline arms.
It all starts with a seed, a droplet of water, a nucleus, a molecule, a bolt of lightning, or the spark of a match.
The Winds of Change
The winds and rain of change are upon me.
There is beauty in a storm. In its chaos is fever, energy, and the fiery colors of fall within the spark of change, which becomes a fire. But there is also turmoil and destruction, followed by ash—the remains of what was and will never be again. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.
Rising from the Ashes
What I know is burning, and what remains is wisdom. Like the legendary Phoenix, I rise—stronger, better, bolder.
Nature is teaching me that life moves in seasons. It is not stable but ever-changing, even when it appears predictable. There is a time to build up and a time to break down, a time to celebrate, and a time to grieve. It is a season of transformation and rebirth.
A Journey We Share
Just as each snowflake and spring blossom is different, so too will this season be unique for each of us. But no matter how individual our journeys may be, we will all go through them together.