BEYOND IMAGININGS

All of childhood should be remembered, and as often as possible - relived.  We lose our child-like abilities as we enter adulthood.  More 'rules' limit our thoughts and movements.  Our own insecurities do the same.

In many ways, I lived an enchanted childhood.  My playground was the deep woods that surrounded our home in rural Vermont.  It encompassed fern-lined clearings, old long-abandoned logging roads, huge boulders the size of a room, and oh so many trees to climb.  These woods housed every sweet berry imaginable, and the thorns didn't stop us.  The greatest danger was an occasional black bear, though they were 'more afraid of us than we were of them."  In the winter, with everything blanketed in snow, it was a white wonderland.  And that brings to mind one of my fondest memories of childhood.

It took place in the chilly snow-covered setting of a New England January night.  The snow was crusted a few inches thick over deep and softer snow.  My boots squeeked on it as it groaned slightly under my weight.  These conditions make the trek through the meadow so much easier.  No sinking in the snow.

The breeze bit into my exposed face.  The night was clear, and the moon lit up the whole countryside, rendering the scene in deep hues of blue.  The slope was gradual but steady, pock-marked with randomly-placed smaller boulders and recesses, ending in a quick cliff-drop into a brook still-flowing.  Hovering all along its banks were rounded fluffs of hardened snow that hid dangers as water cascaded below them.

I placed my plastic toboggan on the ground never taking my eyes from the direction I would take.  I laid in it belly down, with my head just above the front at eye level, and my feet hanging over the back to act as rudders.  My hands, double mittened, were my paddles.  Lying there, my mind was on nothing but the contour of the slope ahead.  I was completely familiar with the route.

With one last thought on this grand ride, I summoned all my strength to propel me forward.  Only my forehead could be seen above the front lip of the red toboggan.  It picked up speed quickly; there was little resistance to slow it down.

The sloping meadow in front of me rose and dipped frequently but maintained a steady downhill slant.  My sled maneuvered this leg of the course similar to a skier twisting through a competition slalom.  In the dips, snow dust had collected, and my breath was taken away as the nose of my sled slammed into each recession and kicked the chilled dust into my face... an added bonus.

The wind even at my low depth was deafening, yet muffled - a consistent aerodynamic whoosh across my ears.  Shadows of small boulders in and near my path and nearby trees distracted me briefly, but I promptly returned my attention ahead to a final stretch of meadow that approached fast, but I still could not see.

To avoid the boulders, my feet guided the sled around them, as I drug a foot on the side of the direction I wanted to go.  Most were white-covered mounds not so easily seen but the reason for my constant vigilance, as a miscalculated bounce could at the worst propel me a number of feet through the air, or at best rip a gouge in my sled.

The next section of meadow was entirely flat, and the reflection of the moon exposed an expanse of icy surface; no small crevasses for dust collection or a dipping sled, which had gained speed.  The ice was slick and unforgiving.  My jaunt now included uncontrollable side-winding which took precious time and speed to correct. 

Adrenaline was doing its job, preparing me for what I knew came soon.  I had to keep the sled straight and on course, or I would suffer a serious fate.

Breathing fast, heart beating rapidly, the end of the meadow was fast approaching.

The boulders, snow sprays, drifting sideways on the ice - were obstacles that only whet the appetite.

The ending was the best part...

Suddenly, a fleeting shadow passed not a yard in front of me.  "Hoooooooo."  "Hooooooooooooo."  Losing concentration, I turned a complete 360 degrees before I regained my bearings.  Though only minimally, I could tell my momentum had slowed.

Beating wings rapidly grew distant.  The owl was only curious.  I only hoped that I was still going fast enough.

Keeping my hands and feet inside I lowered my head as much as I could to maintain speed.   A growing horizontal line dark in color appeared so fast, it almost left me unprepared.  I was still recovering from the owl.  I started to worry that I had not adequately anticipated the distance left before the steep drop in the meadow.

At the last second, I saw the wide but low mound - a flat rock right on the edge of the drop.  I had just that second to aim right for it.  I hit it square. 

Immediate flight.  Immediate silence.  What a rush, especially when you can't see what's around you.  But I could hear it...  not that far below - maybe 15 feet.  The brook.

The brook was flowing fast, a strong current - why it hadn't frozen over yet.  My sled had begun to take a downward turn.

The whooshing sound returned to my ears.  Brook sounds just behind me.  My eyes straight ahead.

Bam!! 

I landed hard, the front then the back hit. My head bounced lower and then above the sled.  A shower of snow dust flew right into my open mouth.  The bluish-white landscape returned my vision, as I spiraled and one side of my toboggan rose off the crust.  I couldn't control its flip and I flew out.  Then I flipped - I lost count how many times.

Another shadow encircled my vision as I flipped.  I was growing tired of shadows.  I stopped right next to it.  This one was vertical.  A tree.

The flip of my sled had saved my life.

I rose to my knees, and that's when the full reality hit.  I had had a guardian angel looking over my shoulder.

In the moonlight, I could clearly see that the toes of my boots were still gleaming wet...

Still, I knew I'd return for yet another thrill - another night.   

Credits for Images (above):

1st Image:  http://www.uuworld.org/2001/01/bellerose3.jpg

2nd Image:  http://www.jthomashinton.com/images/MoonlitForest.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Spring and warmer weather are just around the corner.  It is time to get outdoors and emerge from semi-dormant activity inside... and partake in gardening, nature viewing, hiking or biking day trips, and the myriad of other fun outdoor activities to be enjoyed.

The days get longer, and our minds and bodies crave inspiration, motivation, regeneration - renewed energy and power to fulfill the spirit.

It is time to plan family and/or life-changing events...  barbecues, reunions, Easter-egg hunts(!), weddings.

Wedding Favors - Bridesmaids Gifts - Groomsmen Gifts by AmericanBridal.com

Many of us will eat better, lose weight, and feel healthier.

Some of us may remodel a room, get that tax refund, or grow an herb garden!

We may find love, start a new job, move to another state, or learn a new hobby.

Whatever the desire or need (and there is a vast difference between them), research and planning is essential.  Never jump into anything blindly.  Use caution, patience, and persistence.  Set goals.

But above all, enjoy.  Fall in love with life.

 

 

The Thanksgiving weekend is over - all the food, the good company of family, maybe a little travel here and there.  Now, we move on to the best of holidays!

Though there is a more practical side to it as a babyboomer, and the excitement is a little more tempered with slightly stiffer finances and being responsible (pshawww!), I still even to this day get all anxious and silly waiting out those four weeks until my most favorite of holidays!

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Each year, between September and late October, we satiate ourselves in the beauty of the autumn colors. The mix of reds, purples, oranges and yellows...

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Pictures may speak louder than words, but words can pack a mighty punch if used fittingly and accurately. "...the sun is about to set – a deep orange glow slowly permeating everything in sight - even the shadows; and as it filters through fern clumps raised above the decaying moist ground, and branches swaying in the slight breeze, all becomes an absolutely quiet, hushed silence."

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