One daybreak I woke to the aftermath of a surprise snowstorm. It was one of those storms that visit overnight when you least expect it, like in the middle of March even though the weather has warmed and you’ve stopped wearing a coat.

There was a lot of snow,

but the plows had arrived already.

I guess it wasn’t as unexpected as I thought.

I got in my car and began my commute to work.

It takes me through a park.

That morning the park was blanketed in the virgin snow. The bare trees wore the flakes like diamond earrings.

Everything was clean and beautiful, white and pure.

It reminded me of snow days spent home from school. It reminded me of the fifteen minutes it took to suit up before going outside. It reminded me of snow angels and snow-adorned railroad tracks. It reminded me of the chill felt when ice would sneak inside my glove and shock my wrist. It reminded me of my mother laying our wet clothes on the radiators to dry.

I urged myself to pull over and take a picture of the beauty. That’s how much the vision moved me. I wanted to stop and capture the scene; but I didn’t. I was already driving too slow to make it to work on time so I just kept driving. The adult in me had won over my inner child. I promised myself I would take a picture on my ride back home – back through the same park.

As I sat at my desk that day, the temperature crept up and I watched the now melt. I felt sad. By the time I was driving back through the park, everything was brown and dry again – litter was exposed – all the beauty had melted away.

I should have stopped all of three seconds to take that damn picture. Who knows if I will see a winter wonderland like that again in my lifetime.

Thirty years old and I still think a moment will wait for me to catch up.

From "Stuff I’ve Been Feeling Lately" by Alicia CookPS: You should ALL READ her book.