Life in a Snow globe

 

It’s snowing here. Certainly not an unusual thing in Canada in winter. This snowfall has big flakes that some people will tell you would indicate that it will not last long.  But the forecast calls for this storm to last for many hours and to deposit 10 – 15 centimeters.  Unlike some storms, there are no high winds or blizzard like conditions.  The snow falls gently. Looking out the window is like living in a snow globe.

Do you remember snow globes, or do you still have one? You know, the spherical things that show a serene winter scene and are full of clear viscous liquid and white flakes. When you shook the globe up, or turned it over briefly, the flakes would rise and then descend gracefully through the liquid. They always had a nostalgic look.

Nostalgia seems to permeate this holiday season.  It’s as if we are trying to grasp some ideal and hold on to it. Some may argue that this is a modern phenomenon called up by the troubling times we seem to be experiencing.  But it’s not. Nostalgia has been a part of the celebratory season for as long as I remember, and I’m in my eighties. And like it or not, times have always been challenging for those living it at the time. We reminisce about holidays past.  We think about those who have gone. We remember about our childhood, or of our younger years. This is not a bad thing. It is a reflection of who we are and how we got here. It could and should be positive. But there comes a time when the snow globe fades and the snow disappears and we have to reenter the current world. But hopefully we will do so with a more positive attitude, and we will continue to try and make the world a better place.