The forecast called for a snow-rain mix. Instead, we acquired a significant helping of just the white stuff this afternoon in south Salem. After planning to spend lunch on the treadmill, I changed my mind and suited up for a walk around the extended neighborhood. Snow is just fine as long as I don’t have to drive in it. We’re famous in this part of Oregon for our feeble winter driving skills, either motoring around too fast or too slow and causing accidents either way. But I digress…

The snow fell heavily on my two-mile walk, collecting on the streets enough that traffic became fairly light. I so appreciate snowfall for the quiet stillness it creates. The sound of only footsteps crunching in the wintry powder. The loudest noise coming from my own thoughts. And from the guy with a leaf blower. Seriously. So much for practicing mindfulness, but I did pause a few times along the journey to listen to the silence. And I stopped to scoop a handful of snow for a water diet lunch.

The break from the winter doldrums was brief but satisfying. It has been a mild winter here, and the snow won’t linger for long. Those thoughts I mentioned, however? They have rattled around in my head for months. I’ve made commitments to myself, and the path to fulfilling them has been lined with a few potholes. Yet, to borrow from Robert Frost, “I have promises to keep. And miles to go before I sleep.”