Thursday, January 1, 2015

The Future Lies Before You . . .

Many (many!) years ago, the most perfect girl in my class wrote this lovely, and ominous, poem in my yearbook and the words have echoed in my mind throughout the years.

"The future lies before you like a gleaming path of snow,
Be careful where you tread, for every step will show"

Standing in that old classroom, I imagined the vision she saw when she thought of these words - an elegantly curving garden path glowing with a coating of 2 1/2 - 3" of pristine whiteness waiting for her impeccably shod little foot to  trace the delicate line of her passage to perfection.

I was horribly intimidated.  

Don't get me wrong.  I liked this girl.  I wanted to be like her, but, reading this poem, I knew - with this message, the jig is up!  - She knows the truth about me - she knows!-  I'm messy!  :-(( !  and in her exquisite kindness she was warning me. 

Immediately after imagining her vision, I saw my own vision and, omg! no path!  In my mind I was standing somewhere in a wilderness and, from an elevated vantage point, overlooking a vast wind swept field stretching to the far distant horizon.  Was it beautiful?  Oh, God, yes.  There were places of smooth gleaming whiteness, but also rocks, and rough patches, hills and slopes... but, no path!

Years later, I found another version of the poem which read, "a gleaming field of snow".   Mmm, that I could relate to, but by then, I had learned to ski, jump, run around, fall down, get back up, roll around, dance and carry on in every direction and in every condition. 

so now it's
January 1, 2015
(and I have also learned
the future always lies before you.) 

It's been a long journey from that schoolroom and I am so grateful that  my personal field of gleaming snow has been reflected and celebrated on canvas.  This year and this month mark a significant passage for me.  

I have chosen this small landscape of an field of snow to start this year's blog specifically because it was done very early in the morning and celebrates one of our greatest blessings, the curious miracle we all know - the beginning of a new day.