Snow! Wondrous Snow!

As the white blanket that covered London for the past 24 hours began to melt away, there was still a glow you could see in the eyes of every Londoner on the streets. A sense of wonder rarely seen in a metropolis of this size captured the populous of this great city. Smiles crept out from hardened exteriors and stiff upper lips. Heads usually tilted towards the grey pavement were lifted skyward as the white fluff fell gently on faces. Behind the British resolve that drove so many to walk to work – and the British grovelling about the inadequately prepared transportation network – was a childlike joy that burst forth. What is it about snow that has this capacity to delight and incapacitate us from the drivel of life’s rhythms?

Meteorology holds human emotions in suspense like a Greek melodrama (or soap opera?). Thunderstorms scare children while eliciting more amorous reactions in many adults. Hurricanes and tornadoes inspire awe even in their horrifying destruction, a Blake-like rendering of the sublime and the beautiful. Yet is snow that produces the most innocent and joyful reaction amongst nature’s trove of weather offerings. Even those in cold climates who are used to the stuff – my Canadian and Scandinavian friends come to mind – have an appreciation for the very first snowfall of the year, before pollution (of human and beast) begins to taint the virgin white cloak. Those first flakes falling gently as silence seems to pervade the austere grey sky, bring us all to the window like a child on Christmas morning. The absence of colour created by a blinding white coating brings us to a world of simple beauty – pure form and elegance take the place of more worldly distractions. One can stare at the white flakes for minutes on end while grasping a warm cup of tea. All worries seem to fade away.

In a world of complexity and constant work, snow brings a sense of peace and a pause from the usual cacophony of life. It is the magical suspension of time, I think, that seems to create the universal appeal of snow. The atmosphere of peace and blinding white light brings out our inner child – indeed even Frank Zappa warned “…don’t go near the yellow snow.” The next time a beautiful virgin snowfall presents itself, do not gripe or let the worries of the world draw your attention from the immediacy of nature’s pause button. Enjoy the silence.