Days of Snow!

Stumbled down thinking of the snowy days..

With 2 years gone by , the thought of cold chilly breeze ,soft snow flakes make me relive that wonderful afternoon. It was barely a day or two since a group of 3 colleagues landed in the well known gloomy city of the world - Seattle. "Beauty " in its simple form of all the odds of superlatives, I could describe this city in a word. As I go back leaning onto my chair feeling the bliss as fresh as ever, I start to experience it all over again. Nothing different, nothing special, still each landscape, each new spot slides by as a power point presentation.

Little things which go un noticed in our day

to day schedules of hurdling back and forth for work and home, caught my attention that very day. I admired nature more than ever. A simple gesture would mean it all when a hand holds you tight when you are about to trip and fall. I would have loved to capture that moment when a young couple helped this old lady trying all her best to get onto the half crowded bus approaching the stop. The rough faced lady had wrinkled hands and feet, seemed barely ready for the season that had set in. I doubt if the woollen cap from the nearby store did any help either. It was not any unsual scene for the everyday passerby, for me - it was yet another picture sketched in my cerebrum's corner.

Caching onto the picture in my mind as I walked down the street, I saw a gentlemen placing his order at the starbucks counter round the corner. His looks were so identical to one of those movie stars - a neat shave , nicely tucked shirt and blazer that matched his trouser - he was definitely pulling it off very well. A woollen stole to keep him warm added the style that was demanded. Entire attire fit him so well, it was hard to say if he was sent down to earth just to jump into that piece of clothing. Even when I was trying to make this frame stand on my mind I saw him walking away with a cup of freshly brewed espresso mixed with little cream and tipped up with a bit of cinnamon to add in a little flavor for the day that's just begun.

A lonely bench, otherwise a hangout spot for the college teens, was crying in silence.

Not disturbed, not touched, not bothered of its existence - the teens walk beside it making their way to the classrooms nearby.The bench stands out craving for some noise to keep it entertained as it would have been on bright sunny day.

Snowman was something that had appeared in a hollywood movie or in some fairy tale cartoon show till that day. Oh man - I was seeing it in real! Playing with snow balls was yet another dream come true. My hands go stiff, no sense of a muscle after a 5 minute session with the snow and bare hands. Needed first hand experience you see :)

How strong the roots go deep into earth , fighting the cold and melting the snow, so that their stem rise to bloom an eye soothing flower that look fresh and healthy - just to please the onlookers. The colors are plentiful and their attributes so precise and sharp.The fresh farmers market was my next stop. There was a full swing in the area and it didn't seem a chaos. Loved the song they sang when a big fish was said "sold". It had the authentic feel that I was in search of for the whole day.The fresh fruits smelled so pure and I wished I could be a bee for that moment of my life to extract the purest form of nectar.

What more could I have asked for? Every day , every thing around me seemed so special, tried my best not to miss anything that gave my heart and vision a pleasure.

Memories do remain fresh and I think they will forever.

- Ashwini Nagaraja