Summary

The author reflects on the beauty and creativity of ice formations, drawing parallels between childhood memories and a recent rediscovery of the enchanting side of winter.

Abstract

The article recounts the author's renewed appreciation for winter, inspired by a decision to embrace the cold and venture outdoors. It reminisces about childhood experiences of winter activities, such as cross-country skiing, exploring ice caves, and building ice sculptures. The author contrasts these fond memories with the often negative adult perceptions of ice as cold, slippery, and dangerous. Through a recent walk in the park, the author encounters intricate ice formations that evoke a sense of awe and connection to nature, prompting a shift in perspective to view ice as an opportunity for adventure and enjoyment. The article encourages readers to be open to the wonders of nature, suggesting that everyone can find their own moment of awe in the natural world.

Opinions

The author acknowledges the common adult view of ice as something negative and hazardous but chooses to shift this perspective.
Childhood experiences with ice are portrayed as magical and formative, contributing to a lifelong fascination with winter landscapes.
The author emphasizes the intricate beauty of ice formations, comparing them to sculptures that can leave one almost breathless with awe.
There is an underlying encouragement for readers to actively seek out and appreciate the small wonders of nature, suggesting that such moments can be transformative.
The author expresses gratitude for the prompts and encouragement received from others, highlighting the importance of community and shared experiences in personal growth and appreciation of the natural world.

Ice Art

Frozen awe

A couple of weeks ago I made a decision to walk outside every day. I will stop avoiding the cold weather —just bundle up and get out there!

I took a beautiful winter walk. I enjoyed the snow. The next day, the temperature was again below freezing and there was still some snow and ice. I walked.

Nope, those aren’t pictures of my winter walk this week. They are flashbacks. My mom was the photographer. I was about ten years old. We lived on Lake Huron in a sheltered channel. Our bay froze over completely each winter.

On the day of the photos, we cross-country skied about a mile from home to the open water of Lake Huron, which we called the big lake because it didn’t freeze completely. We explored the ice caves created by the frozen waves along the shoreline.

My other childhood ice experiences were many. We ice skated on our bay if it froze smooth, or on a man made ice rink made by dad. Each winter we built ice sculptures with colorful characters, tunnels, and slides for the ice carnival and we went ice fishing. Then, in my teen years, driving trucks on the frozen lake to have bonfires on the ice was also a blast.

Those icy moments hold great memories.

Now, back to the present, I have decided to give up my adult thoughts of ice: cold, slippery, dangerous, sometimes even hazardous. I am determined to set those ideas aside to see the cold weather as an adventure again, and enjoy it.

I walked through the park to the river. As I walked along the beach, I saw some branches with little tufts of sculpted ice. The wind had formed what looked like scutes (bony plates on a dinosaur’s back) along the length of the logs.

I needed a closer look.

The closer I got, the more intricate and interesting the ice formations were.

This was a moment for me. A moment of awe —each little sculpture wowing me a little bit more than the one before, leaving me almost out of breath. A moment of connecting past memories with the present. A moment of realizing how creative mother nature really is. A moment I could have easily missed.

Ice might not be your moment. It was mine. But, I can say, if Mother Nature reaches out her hand, stop and take notice of whatever she has to offer at that moment.

Thanks for reading! I hope everyone finds their moment. (And, more and more of them — check out what nature has in store!)

Thanks to Kamna Kirti for the prompt and Squeeze the Avocado for her enduring encouragement:

I’m Buying Experiences, Not Things

Michelangelo's virtual Sistine Chapel exhibition

medium.com