The snow fell creating a sense of peace and calm that I welcomed after a busy week. The world always feels quiet when it snows. It is something that I have adored since childhood. The large white flakes filled the air and stuck to the branches of the trees and the grass. It felt like magic. It felt like I was watching magic play out right before my eyes. Mother nature was making everything innocent and pure and light right before my eyes. The flakes were huge and flowed slowly and steadily from the sky.

I started a fire in the wood stove and danced around the house enjoying the energy of the snow storm and the holiday season. There is something about the combination of snow swirling in the sky and a wood stove that sets the energy on maximum comfort. I wanted to sink into the day, like I sink into a couch. I wanted the day to embrace my body and my soul while I enjoyed its support, just like a couch.

As the hours went by the snow began to pull the branches of the trees down. The snow was heavy and wet and dense. I stood looking at a cluster of birch trees in my backyard. The branches were pulled down almost to the ground, stretched outside of their comfort zone, yet not enough to make them break. I stood with a warm cup of coffee in my hand looking out at the trees and feeling bad for them. It never feels good to have something so heavy that you bend out of your comfort zone, wondering if you will snap at any moment.

As the tree released the snow and let it fall down to the ground, for the earth to welcome and accept, the tree bounced back up into place. I couldn’t help but compare the trees to life. Sometimes, things get heavy and they weigh us down. Things can force us to bend, almost to the point of snapping and breaking. However, when we release the heaviness it is amazing how we bounce right back to our true shape and true selves.