Appearances Are Often Just Illusions

This morning our world seems a study in illusions. From our nest, cozy and snug inside our double hung windows, the world seems to have that classic snow-muffled hush. The trees are iced and the ground is white. 

But the moment we swung open the door, the cacophony descended. The heavy drips from tree branches. The mad twitter of hungry winter birds. The crunch of melting ice, and snow sliding from the rooftop. The snow plow, the neighbor scraping a windshield. Even the cat is making more noise than usual, her footsteps echoing with a crunch as her paws warm the ground and her weight breaks the surface. 

And it's not just the ear that is deceived. The eye also has much to take in - what we see at first isn't the truth. 

To the east, we see the grey fog and heavy cloud cover of yesterday. 

To the west, clear blue skies and the hope of a warming trend. 

In just a few hours, the evidence of this winter storm will melt away. Today will end as a warm, muddy day, and we will barely remember the bone chilling cold that made us miserable just a few days ago. Today we will emerge from our warm den, shake off our cabin fever, and embrace the sunlight. Even as I write, the icing is dripping into wet heavy pools on the already saturated ground, reminding me that late winter storms never leave their mark for long. And as the tops of my daffodils begin to peek out of the melting snow, I'm reminded that spring will envelope us in a few short weeks, and I am comforted.