Stopping by Woods......

"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" is a poem that the ENGL 112 students just read and discussed.  Actually Zach is also a student in this course.

I was reminded of this poem today.  My husband and I were driving home from a weekend with our daughters and their families.  We went into Lafayette from the Rossville area this morning to shop for some things at Meijer, then we decided to have lunch at Logan's Roadhouse.  The snow was beginning to drift down from the sky as we went into the restaurant.  As our meal progressed, the snow increased.  Our Escape was covered, the roads were becoming slick, and traffic was moving more slowly as we headed home.

We stopped at Kroger in Monticello for Diet Pepsi and Diet Mt. Dew (on sale - 10 for $10).  The full parking lot indicated that many people in the area were stocking up on groceries (probably the typical bread and milk), just in case of snow days or more slick roads over the next few days.  As we were driving on home after that stop and approached our house, the poem came to mind.

We do live on the edge of a woods, but our front yard is full of trees as well.  I love being outside in the snow, especially in the back yard because everything is covered, there is nothing but quiet, and I feel more peaceful.

I remember years ago when the girls were small, we had been snowed in for a few days.  Because we were all tried of being in the house, we put on coats, hats, gloves, scarves, and boots and ventured outside to play.  I remember making paths for Fox & Geese when I was a little girl in our big backyard, so my husband and I plowed through the deep snow, using shovels for making the pathways more level and wider, and cleared out spots on each corner and the center as Safe Spots.  We had such great fun playing this, chasing each other, laughing and falling on and off the pathways.  We finished our time outside making snow angels in the still smooth snowy parts of the back yard that had not been bothered by the dogs, the squirrels, or other animals.

There is something peaceful about a snowfall.  There is something magical about the peacefulness.  There is a sense of aloneness when one is standing on the edge of a quiet woods, totally quiet, just reflecting on, well, life.

If you have the chance to do so, pull on those boots, button the coat, put on a hat and gloves, and take a walk outside, even if it is just for 15 minutes.  

Your spirit will be revived!  You will be refreshed!  Cold too, but still refreshed!