By Cindy Yantis

"We're heading into heavy snow."  I heard someone in the airport utter this as he got ready to board my flight.  Flights were cancelled, roads were closed, plans were diverted, all due to heavy snow.

I find the phrase "heavy snow" intriguing.  It's hard to think of anything lighter than snow.  Or to break it down further, there's not many things lighter or more delicate than a snowflake.   Each tiny piece of frosted crystal sweet and unique, completely different that the millions of other perfect ice sculptures cascading down along with it.  They create a silent symphony of white and calm, of peace and newness.  That is until there are too many of them all at once, storming on top one another so that they’re packed into a heaviness that can become treacherous, even deadly.  One could imagine the breezy conversation taking place among them.  “What happened? Just a moment ago we were free and easy, living a light simple existence.  Now, we’re an avalanche.” 

It got me thinking about life’s everyday moments, and the thoughts and projections that inhabit those moments.  A moment is as light as air, as fleeting as a whisper.  And, it leads seamlessly into the next moment, which is entirely different than the moment before and the moment just after.  But, we can become so bogged down in the past, reliving old stories over and over again, or so trepidatious about the future, packing expectations and fears onto the moment, that the present moment is so heavy and burdensome like an overloaded water balloon, that it explodes leaving a soggy mess.

But, if you think of each moment as a snowflake, light and delicate and a precious creation that floats into the next snowflake, then it really helps keep a lightness and a present-ness about your own presence.  

Eckhart Tolle in the The Power of Now, says, “As soon as you honor the present moment, all unhappiness and struggle dissolve, and life begins to flow with joy and ease. When you act out the present-moment awareness, whatever you do becomes imbued with a sense of quality, care, and love - even the most simple action.”

Think about how light each moment would be if you just went moment to moment without piling the past and future onto it. 

Take some time to slow down.  Notice.  Allow each moment to be it’s own unique experience.  Like the snowflake.  

Be the moment.  Be the snow.