Dec 21st, 2008
snowless moments
by Miles Benson
For those of you who live in New England, more specifically Massachusetts, the past 72 hours have either been a blessing or a tragedy.
There has been literally non-stop snow fall for three days.
I for one am happier than I have been since my new york trip.
A while back, I had a screen name that I had since I first connected to the internet back in the early 90’s. And I got to keep it for about nine years. Then one day AOL Instant messenger made me change it. Well, since the original one meant so much to me, coming up with a new one was difficult. I eventually landed on “snowlessmoments.”
Me doth thinks the jokes ‘twoud ring verily. By Odin they did.
“Snowlessmoments? What’re you gay?” “Cheer up emo kid.” “Insert clever joke.”
But, whatever…”snowlessmoments” describes me in a way I was never able to before. “Snowlessmoments” means, for every day that it doesn’t snow, I’m unhappy.
The snow just serves as a reminder of where I came from and a reminder for where I’m going. I understand that snow falls at the same time every year not because of some magical circumstance like I would like to believe but because it’s the result of a type of precipitation in the form of crystalline water ice, consisting of a multitude of snowflakes that fall from clouds.
There is nothing magical about snow other than what is in my own head. And every year I remind myself that this magic doesn’t exist. But every year I’m drawn to it, every year I forget about the rational mind and the science, and every year I believe, truly believe that it snows to remind me that everything’s going to be okay.
For the harder it snows the more I believe the world will balance itself out.
“Snowlessmoments” may sound like an emo teenage angsty screenname; but I’m okay with that.
May there be good will towards men…
…and women.
December 23rd, 2008 at 1:35 pm:
sir, what is it you mean “The snow just serves as a reminder of where I came from”? were you born in an arctic cave? and actually an increase in snow just serves to remind us of the devistating effects of global warming, so the fact that you find this a sign of comfort just goes to show how incredibly effed up you are. But hey ain’t life grand? Merry Christmas my good Saloon King. I hope to see you soon and exchange gifts and you better not set them ablaze, it’s not my fault you have to go fail at learning piano instead of exchange gifts with me. eff off and hallelujah!
December 24th, 2008 at 12:40 pm:
Midnight tonight I burn all your gifts if you don’t come by to receive them. I’m the anti-Santa from the negative anti-matter universe.
January 2nd, 2009 at 11:35 am:
“There is nothing magical about snow other than what is in my own head.” I think it’s interesting that you say this because it reinforces that everything is about attitude. A person can go through life thinking that nothing is special, that everything is meaningless. They are right, if they want to be. And it’s beneficial to view the world in these terms from time to time. But a person can also go through life thinking everything is special, that “magic” does happen, that life is always beautiful. It reminds me of that scene in American Beauty where the boy films the plastic bag blowing in the wind. It’s commonplace and it’s literally trash. But if you look at it the way he did, it is beauty too. And I am so glad he made me see it that way.
And your comment was also interesting because there IS something magical about snow that does exists outside of Your head. It’s this magic that makes poets write about snow, and that makes teachers teach “Walking Through the Woods on a Snowy Evening” more than a hundred years later, and that makes kids wish for snow days, and that makes almost everyone raised in this area develop fantastic memories about times spent in the snow, and that makes people sing about White Christmases every year. It isn’t merely precipitation, and never has been. So as you remind yourself every year that snow isn’t magical, you should also remind yourself that snow is magical and there are so many other things in life as magical and as beautiful as snow too. That there is needn’t be so many snowless moments because “snow” can be found any time of year if you want to find it.
January 4th, 2009 at 7:51 pm:
Remember when you asked what my book was about?
Your second paragraph describes what my book is about in a way I didn’t think I could describe myself.
January 5th, 2009 at 3:25 pm:
If u believe the magic is there, it’s there. Don’t let anyone else, including yourself, make you think otherwise.