As the seasons change from autumn to winter the leaves fall from the trees making their way to the earth's floor. The bare trees prepare for a long slumber to recharge during the winter months; to rest and renew for the coming spring.
As the snow begins to fall all is quiet. One might say, it's peaceful. Standing outside in the dark of the night, arms stretched out wide, head raised to the sky allowing oneself to be showered by the snowfall.
Slowly, one flake falls from the sky, meandering from way above, drifting on it's own path until finally it lands. One flake alone is beauty, simple, quiet yet it's the powerful act of what happens when all the individual snowflakes collectively work together. Each in their own right unique yet it's a different experience that brought the snowflakes together to blanket the earth.
Each snowflake is unique because each flake takes it's own path to the earth being exposed to different air temperature, pressure and humidity. Because of this, the amount of ice formed on the snowflake varies. Snowflakes are typically depicted as a six-armed star shape called a dendrite however snowflakes come in multiple shapes including needles, columns, hollow columns, six-sided prisms and plates. If a snow crystal passes through droplets of water and then freezes this is called rime which can become graupel but is not to be confused with hail. The colder the temperature, the dryer the air leads to a type of snow called diamond dust, perhaps the most magical of all snowfalls (Snow by M. Sedgwick).
Knitting and snow. Each individual snowflake collects to make something bigger. Each knit stitch is like a snowflake... we link each stitch together to create something beautiful. It starts with one, then we add another, plus one more until finally we have a hat, mittens, cowl, sweater, socks, etc. And really, it is our knitted product that we've made to keep us warm and protect us; just like the accumulated snow that protects and provides warmth to the earth during it's winter slumber.
Snow and peace. One tiny, unique snowflake makes a difference. That peaceful snowflake gathers with other individual snowflakes to create something rather powerful.
And so is the collective power of all of us; our own experiences in life bringing us together now working to enhance peace in our own lives but there is a cumulative effect of all of us working together to create change. Never doubt the power of one, just like the snowflake; it's the individuals that make up the total that has an impact.
Day 4. Peaceful tip.
Today's tip is simple. Pour yourself your favorite beverage, sit down in your favorite place and listen to some music. And now imagine yourself as that peaceful snowflake.
Here's a YouTube link to Snow by George Winston. If you have access to Spotify, Amazon Prime or Pandora (free) listen to the collection called December by George Winston. It's a treat.
