Thoughts...in the key of me.

The cold is always so brilliant. I've always marvelled at how a drop in temperature makes things sparkle and fill with magic. Bushes that were once dull from fall's dryness gain new color and life.

It's interesting how the cold brings people together. Practically speaking, people have to draw together during the colder months for warmth. Think about it, though. In the old days before electricity, the hearth was the central gathering place for the family. In the fall and winter months when the temperature began to plummet, the family was forced to gather around the fire. I can picture a mother knitting, a father smoking a pipe and perhaps reading something, and the children either quietly playing or studying their chatechism. It's a very Little House image. I suppose that's because I read the books as a child. I could now go on a tirade about how society has thrust the family into a whirlwind of endless appointments, activities, tv shows, and cell phone ringers...butI won't. I think that the hearth still has that magnetic quality. I remember one time when I was in high school there was a bad ice storm. We were living in Virginia at the time, so it was a common occurance in the winter to get at least one good storm. After having lived in Georgia all my life, it was always a joy to wake up to more brilliant sunlight penetrating my shades because of the snow's whiteness. It was always a joy to have a snow day. But, in this instance we only had nasty ice to deal with. Everything looked eerie...as if the ice wasn't a solid, but some sinister ooze bent on consuming everything alive. I remember loving the simplicity of that storm, because the power outage forced the family into the living room around the hearth for a couple of days. We amused ourselves by playing cards, dominoes, and mankala. That magnetic effect, although a necessity at that moment, was still present. The cold produced magic then.

Tonight when I'm walking downtown, I'm going to pay attention to how the cold makes magic. I'm going to pay attention to how it fits people and flatters them. I'm going to see it put a quick liveliness in their step and a rush to their breath. Tonight, I'll be breathing out fairy dust.