A Childhood State-Of-Mind (Or) The Power of Blizzards

What is it about blizzards? That they’re so mind-bogglingly dramatic? That they surprise us even though we know they’re coming? I mean who isn’t talking about “the blizzard of the century” this week?

Growing up in New Hampshire, I faced real danger in snowstorms and pulled off highways numerous times to wait out hazardous conditions. During one such wait many years ago I found myself wearing a giddy grin and giggling. What was the matter with me?! My goofy state did not indicate a grasp of reality. In fact, I was fully cognizant, it’s just that blizzards make me feel as if I’m 6 years old.

When a snowstorm hits, some mysterious force takes hold and I’m flooded with memories: jumping off the roof of my childhood home into huge powdery snowbanks; building snow forts that rivaled castles in my mind; making snow angels and praying that the dogs wouldn’t… y’know. Those memories stimulate fantasies that range from prehistoric cave dwellings to trekking cross country in a covered wagon to – you name it. To me, snowstorms mean that anything is possible.

This week’s blizzard unleashed word inventions such as “blizzicane” and “snowmageddon”; blizzards can be a catalyst-for-craziness. Proof? My snapshot of a dear friend leaping barefoot through snowdrifts in a completely transparent negligee.

What a gift is a blizzard! If we choose to embrace it, it has the capacity to release the genius that is hiding in all of us. In this way it is similar to Theatrical Intelligence. Whether your dominant role (or mine) is Actor or Technician, I am confident that our gut responses to blizzards are worthy of our attention.

Why? It is revealing to capture that place in ourselves that’s willing to leap into unexplored terrain. That core of our being is often ignored in favor of our more practical parts. Finding it can be fun; sometimes even transformational. And you don’t have to have grown up with snowstorms to experience their phenomenon.

Next time a big blizzard is forecast, what the hell? Get ready for an emotional adventure – hidden worlds are waiting for you and your imagination to discover them.

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2 Responses to “A Childhood State-Of-Mind (Or) The Power of Blizzards”

  1. Niel Lewis says:

    Yes! Blizzards appeal to me in the same way. Many of life’s exhilarating moments and powerful memories for me lie in a sense of adventure – “venturing out” into unexplored terrain. As a boy I relished venturing out into big snow storms to become personally engaged with the dramatic weather … walking, playing, skiing or shoveling. I even recall the exhilaration of shoveling tunnels and mazes through snow drifts over my head in a neighbor’s back yard, where no snow removal was needed! I also recall that in school, some of my most creative and imaginative writing occurred with snow storms howling outside. Do blizzards generate a childhood state of mind because they take us back to our first adventurous encounters with snow, when we were young?

    Happy New Year to this imaginative blogger.

  2. Ann Sachs says:

    I guess we’re kIndred spirits, Niel. And yes I agree completely that for many of us blizzards do “generate a childhood state of mind because they take us back to our first adventurous encounters with snow, when we were young”!

    Well said, and thank you!

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