memories & hopes

i was down in the basement and ended up going thru a bag o' stuff which contains all my snow attire. i was specifically looking for goggles because i have been getting little flecks in my eyes on bike rides as well as ending up with dried out ocular cavities, which is annoying.

as i opened the bag, i was washed over: the smell of the gear and the look and the feel of the jacket were good. i looked carefully at the jacket, still in prime condition after all this time and great use in the snow. boots in ok condition. pants. goggles. socks. snowboard binding. other extra snow stuff.

i thought to myself, "mmm! that would be nice."

of course you know what i mean.

i was also somewhat flooded by all the good memories of the times i've had in the snow over the course of this lifetime--not just with this gear, but all of them, and those with the gear too. lots of great times. the snow is special. sparkly, white, frozen, angelic, pure. manna?

i have visions of coasting down a hill in light, fluffy powder, easily carving hin und her on the way down the mountain, the snow thick beneath the board, the wind kissing my cheeks and nibbling my ears. i think about snowmen, jumping off railings into snow drifts, eating icicles, sleigh rides with speckled horses and schnapps and Austrian sleighmasters with Alpine hats. i think about friends and family and families of friends and friends of family. i think about cooking indoors and frosty windows. i think about weekend plans and spontaneous drives and rich mountain air, the thinnest sort to be breathed. i think about kisses and hugs and warm fires and heaters drying everyone's gear. i think of hill bombs and frozen rivers and icy needles sticking into my skin, the pain so instant and sharp, the shivers shaking me without my consent, the warmth of the van heater afterward warming my soul along with the inside of my dad's work overalls. i think of snow-capped peaks, of attempts at ascent. i think of snowballs. i think of the future. i think of you. and you. and you. i think of You.

tomorrow i'll try out the googles en bici.