No sounds, no people, just a peaceful quiet moment

-CAUGHT IN THE WEEDS-

By Matt Weed

It is funny how as we age and become adults, things we once loved fall away. There are things I once loved as a child such as cartoons and toys that, now that I am 40, seem almost impossible to enjoy, even with the help of nostalgia.

Yet there are the things that no matter how old you get bring a smile to your heart every single time.

I awoke the day after Thanksgiving, made my coffee and put on some music, only to see...snow! Yes snow, glorious SNOW! No matter how old I get, I still fill with a ridiculous amount of excitement and joy every single time I see it snowing.

In 2019, I was on a trip to southern Utah hiking and exploring with my dad. I made him stop the car right in the middle of the road so I could run halfway up a mountain to grab snow and throw it like a child, only to find a few minutes later there was no need to waste all that energy.

A couple hundred feet of elevation later we had driven through the high desert with temps in the high 80s into a magical winter wonderland with the most amazing view of a frozen lake.

So, when it started snowing the day after Thanksgiving, I was excited, to say the least! I grabbed my cell phone with its magical camera superpowers and slammed it to the glass of my bedroom window, recording a video to try to capture the world as I was seeing it through my eyes. In those 30 seconds, my mind went to snowmen, snow forts, sledding and all the magical things from my childhood I loved then and still love now. I realize it is far too early in the year for snow to accumulate enough for any of those activities, but that did not stop me from daydreaming.

Once I had snapped out of that dream world and landed safely back in reality, I took my short video to social media to share with the world! Shortly after posting the video, I was reminded there is evil in the world. An evil that lives in the Northeast and hates snow! What kind of person hates snow? Were they not loved as a child? Hating the cold I get, but snow? How black and dead is your heart that you hate something as beautiful and magical as snow?

I absolutely love frosty winter mornings when it is just me, my coffee, and the soft shimmering glow of freshly fallen snow. No sounds, no people, no chaos, just a peaceful quiet moment in space and time where it’s just you and the winter morning. Throw a deer or two grazing into that picture and I am in heaven! I pray for a whimsical and white Christmas morning...nothing would be more magical.

So, even at 40, I have still not grown up and I do not plan on it anytime soon. A certain amount of childlike charm goes a long way in a world that seems to always be way too serious.

What is something that gives you childlike nostalgia every time you see it? For me it is many things - heck, I still light up every time I come out of the Fort Pitt Tunnel. I would love to hear about yours and how it makes you feel, so feel free to comment, or find me on the interwebs to let me know!