November 17, 2015

The first snowfall of the season is always a happy and delightful surprise.  We awoke this morning to a wintry wonderland.  So quiet, so peaceful.  The kids tumbled out the door before I could even finish zipping zippers.  The front door slammed shut as their whoops echoed off the stillness.  I quickly put together a batch of zucchini muffins for breakfast, and joined them outside.

I let the goats and sheep out of the barn, and they stood in the doorway, peering out at their world transformed.  Honestly, it is rather a funny sight to see our critters bewildered.  You can almost hear them thinking aloud, “Now, where did that nibble of grass go from yesterday?  Why is everything so white?”  I have been told several times that sheep are not the brightest creatures, much to my indignation.  However,  it is hard to argue when they do everything they can to avoid stepping down into the wet snow.  They back up into each other, jostle and shove a little to move as far away from the doorway as possible, but at the first sign of one of them venturing out, they stampede through the barn door in a fluffy frenzy.

While the hens preferred to perch up high from the cold ground, my three sillies flopped in the snow, rolling about with glee.  All of them lay on the ground, ignoring the ice down the back and the soggy, cold pants.  They were experiencing the snow as only children do…with wild abandonment and sheer pleasure.  There were no concerns for the morning activities that we had committed to.  There was no thought to how completely soaked they became.  They were one with the snow and it was indeed a pleasure to be reminded of the simplicity of being alive in this very moment ~ no matter how fleeting.  

When these moments present themselves and I am able to step out of my self-made busy-ness, I appreciate the examples set by my own little Buddhas.  Throw yourself into the beauty, immerse yourself in the pleasure of this moment…and taste the snowflake that lands on your upturned face.  For this very moment…well, this is Life.