another cozy evening in the pub. don't mind me, i'm just going to settle in this back corner here and listen to the jukebox, for awhile.
~bartender, just a whiskey, neat?
we just had a good bit of snow here in my part of arkansas. about 14 inches and some change. i live way out in the woods, so the roads were pretty icy for a good few days. glad the wife and i stocked up on stuff from town that we needed before the snowstorm came in. it was a beautiful few days of looking outside and seeing nothing but snow blanketing the yard.
while i'm not the biggest fan of the cold (my ideal temperatures are anywhere from 50-80), i love the beauty of the snow. of course, i'm one of those lucky folks that don't have to worry about getting out in it, so that could have something to do with it. :-) it's serene, quiet. there's something that almost encourages you to reflect while looking out at it.
for me, those little reflections are those christmases past, spent with my family, many of whom have passed on. i think the snow, for many of us at least, evoke nostalgia like that. i can remember plenty of times hanging out at my grandma's house back in the day, having snowball fights with my cousins, opening christmas presents with the family, visiting with one another round the dinner table. those little things that add up this cohesive whole that forms a warm fondness for those familial moments.
maybe it's just a nice recollection, maybe it's a longing for times long past that we're not going to get back. whatever it is, it's burned into my brain, those times that remind you that however things seem, there's always those moments you can cherish and hold onto for the rest of your life. it's those little things.
while i don't always love the winter since the cold and i don't get along that well, i will never forget that a lot of my favorite memories took place in this season. and i continue to build more memories, as well, in this season. just this year, i got to spend time with my wife and my mother in law for christmas, though sadly, with the reminder that this is the first one my wife has spent without her dad. i'm sure in her own way, this is also a pensive time for her. maybe she reflects on those memories of her own, remembering her own times that she had with her family, just like i did.
i raise my whiskey glass to those in my family who have went on before me, and i hope you, fellow pub patron, have some of those same sort of memories to raise a glass for as well. while the holiday season has came and went, the snow reminds me of all of those times i can fondly remember, as if they were only yesterday.
in fact, the melting of the snow and the dawning of new days is a nice analogy. it reminds me of the fact that even though some of those we know and love have gone on, time continues to march forward, and we are free to continue creating new memories, on our own terms, and in our own ways. i don't know where you are, reader, or where you're at in life, or what the current season reflects in your own memories.
whatever this season evokes in you, remember that the winter is a bit of a reminder for life in general. sometimes, life seems cold, and you don't know where you're going to go, what tomorrow might bring. however, a new day, and a new season, will dawn, and there's no telling what possibilities and warmth it will bring with it. i hope 2025 is bringing new possibilities to you, things you might not have even thought about in the season past, or even yesterday.
well, my whiskey glass is running empty. time to get back to it. as i step out of the serene pub, i remind you to reflect on those points in life. winter is here, but spring is right around the corner, and it's a brand new year, a brand new opportunity to reinvent yourself while still keeping those core components of you, those memories, close at heart. some of those family members i think about in those memories aren't here anymore, and are out of time.
we, however, still have time. the question, of course, is what do we choose to do with it?