If I Hadn't Been Walking
by Ronnee Ruselle
It's our first winter in Victoria, Australia. Previously I lived in Sydney and Brisbane and have always had difficulty deciding which of the seasons was my favourite. The winters can be rainy etc, but being so far south and living near a mountain range (The Dandenongs) I was not sure how we'd respond to a freezing cold winter.
I walk my daughter to school each day. It's about a half an hour there (allowing for her little legs to walk at her own pace) and about fifteen minutes back. On the surface of it in this day of cars and other forms of 'fast' and 'easy' transport, to many people it would seem a bother, but every day for me is a journey of fresh air, sensations, experiences and more that the people driving by miss out on.
This morning we left talking about the time we might arrive at school and the things my daughter could do when she got there. We discussed how icy the air was this morning. The sun was shining brightly and proudly in the sky so it was quite a contrast to the temperature, but our bodies loved it. The combination of the fresh, chilly air and the happy bright sun made us feel alive - it was wonderful, but it was nothing compared to what we were treated to when we got out of the driveway.
One look all around on the ground and all we could see was white and diamonds. This ground along the side of the road that is normally showing green grass and weeds was overnight turned into what resembled a fairy wonderland. The big leaved weeds proudly displayed their dazzling coats of frozen dew. At first I thought I was looking at glass, but realized that it was in fact droplets of dew that had frozen into ice droplets. The sun shining down on them created an effect that could only be described as nature's 'bling bling' as each movement we made showed another shining 'flash' of bright, clear light.
A leaf laying on the ground that had dropped from a tree, seemingly normal in it's autumn red and brown without the help of the temperatures, but this morning, where the ice-dew had settled along the creases of the leaf and around the edge of it looked like diamonds had been glued along it - it truly was that perfect!
As we walked to the school, so much of the ground was covered in a frost that was exactly the same as the frost we scrape off the freezer when needed. The sun shone on it, creating a crystalline fantasy world of beauty. The childhood glee that filled me was almost embarrassing, but inside I responded by saying "Thank You" to nature for allowing me to once again feel that light-hearted simple wonder and love of the world around me just for a moment instead of having to focus on the constant responsibilities that we must see to when we're adults. I instantly wanted to stop and stay there for a while just examining up close, down on my hands and knees like I did with things when I was a child, but of course I didn't.
My daughter delighted in watching the 'steam' that comes with every breath she exhaled. It took me back to when I was a child and I did the same thing every day, every winter, all the way to school. It was freezing this morning, but we didn't care - in fact, we almost didn't notice except for the way it tends to 'bite'. My legs were numb, but not enough to be painful, just enough to add another interesting sensation to my morning because it felt a little odd walking on legs that I couldn't feel.
When we arrived at the school, the mood was 'electric'. Something about today filled everybody with joy and excitement. The children were running around scraping the frost off the grass and running to their parents shouting 'Look! Look!' and their parents laughed with great happiness at seeing their childrens eyes shine with such delight.
Even though it is so far the coldest day of the year, every single face in the school was smiling. People were wearing warm jackets and they had their faces wrapped with scarves, gloves on their hands and even a little baby peeked out from above the zipper on her mother's jacket to view the world from her perspective. People commented on the chill, but even those who dared to complain, did so with a big smile, not meaning a word of it. Another parent said that the signs told of a beautiful day ahead.
The bell rang and it was time to return home after saying my farewells to my daughter and the other parents. I was pretty excited to get back to enjoying the sparkling of the grass and the leaves. I was able to laugh at the drop of water that had melted to land on the top of my head. I was slightly regretful that at any moment the gift of joy that nature had given to all here this morning would soon disappear with the continued sunshine, but of course that is easily tempered by the knowledge that the sunshine itself is beautiful and brings cheer. This morning I decided that for today Winter is my favourite month this year.
The most sobering thought I had while quietly admiring and reminiscing about the myriad of sensations, sights and emotions I'd felt this morning is that I would have experienced none of if I hadn't been walking.