Other than that, there was no noise. Not a breath of wind, no birds flying. Around us pure white snow continued to silently fall. What a beautiful scene, I thought. It moved me, in a way. I was sure every detail would remain in my memory, until the moment came when I took my last breath.
— Haruki Murakami, The City and Its Uncertain Walls. (Trans. Philip Gabriel) (Knopf, November 19, 2024)
Post Inspiration:
2:30 am. Wally is restless, and his tossing and turning had wakened me (again).
I don’t know what pulled me to get up and look out the window. Murakami: “You wordlessly shook your head. But something had happened. I could pick up on it, the delicate sound of wings beating at a decibel beyond a human’s audible range.” And what a surprise it was to see snow.
Murakami’s words didn’t exactly capture my experience this morning with our first snowfall of the season, but it was nonetheless beautiful. The impact of global warming continues to haunt me. I do wonder if our grandchildren will get to experience the beauty of snowfall in winter.
As I rounded the turn on the home stretch of my walk back to the car, the wintry mix turned to heavy rain and the snow was melting as quickly as it had arrived. Murakami: “The days passed, the seasons changed. Yet days and seasons are but temporary things…Human beings are as insubstantial as an exhaled breath, and what they do in their lives is but a moving shadow.”
More photos from this morning’s walk can be found here.
Photo above was taken at 3:12 am. Snow mixed with heavy rain. 32° F, feels like 22° F, wind gusts up to 37 mph. November 22, 2024. Cove Island Park. Stamford, CT.
It’s early to be holding two opposing thoughts as one. The quiet beauty of the ground covered with snow and the dread when wondering how long such vistas will be available for us to savor.
Yes. Exactly Mimi. It is too early.
Laughing…ok, I’m sorry
Beautiful😍💓
It was! Thank you!
Be Still and KNOW 🎶
That’s all you need on a morning that delivers magic.
Know? Know it’s damn cold and wet!
Negative Nancy.
I share Mimi’s feelings…tough to integrate such divergent feelings so early in the morning. But so glad that you gave yourself over to the wonder of the moment and captured it for the rest of us. I am sitting here by the fire on a surprisingly chilly (55 degrees 😉) Florida morning and missing my New England winters something awful. Savor the moments, pal.
Sitting by the fire on a 55 F morning. GIVE.ME.A.BREAK.
There are many beautiful touches in Murakami’s words, and in your words as well… the effections of photograph and where my imagination takes me… beautiful but still, I think there is something that makes me shiver, those unwritten thoughts that will wander in my mind… Thank you dear David, have a nice day and weekend, Love, nia
Agree Nia. Murakami is a magic man in setting the scene. Have a good weekend.
OMG! What are you doing out there at 3:12 a.m. You could get mugged! But the photo is super!
I know! Madness! Wally got me up and I said since I’m up, why not?!
It’s a beautiful place but you still need to be careful. I mean, Wally will do his best to bring the perps down, but he’s only one man.
Laughing. Yes!
You broke rule #1 of raising a puppy when you let Wally sleep in your bed… But I know you know that… I’m quite sure I remember you writing about it! 😊
As I recall, you absolutely could not stop him from crying even when he was right next to the bed. I have no doubt I would have done the same. And I have no doubt he is worth every interruption in the middle of the night!
Truth up and down on all points Paul!!!!!
👍👍👍
Thanks for the confirmation