Notes from a Blizzard

As I write this, Juno is bearing down bringing heavy snow and strong winds to Cape Cod. We have upward of two feet of snow in our yard and a travel ban is in effect for our region. This is a time for quiet and reflection. I have spent my day inside except for a brief period attempting to shovel the piles of snow in the front yard. This afternoon I wrote in my journal and savored putting words on paper.

Although our power has stayed on, I was also writing by the flickering of several candles. I felt like a pioneer woman writing a letter back home, hoping to capture with words her longing and loneliness for loved ones far away. All afternoon, I felt a connection to those women of long ago and imagined their hidden lives, revealed only through old diaries and letters.

Now, as darkness falls, I think how good it is for writers to have a day to do nothing but listen to the wind and their inner thoughts. Although I haven’t written today other than in my journal, I feel the stirrings of creation. Perhaps tomorrow or next week, I'll write a new poem. For now, I want to sit quietly and dream.

“Guard well your spare moments. They are like uncut diamonds. Discard them and their value will never be known. Improve them and they will become the brightest gems in a useful life.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson