The first frost

I really dislike winter.  Not necessarily the season itself, but all the things that come with it – the cold, the late sunrise and early sunset, dreary weather (snow or rain), the whole collection of winter that makes winter most people’s least favorite season.

However, walking to school on the first day of frost, I can’t help being a little elated.  Just a little.  The air is crisp.  Just a hint of smoke in it.  It pricks at my exposed cheeks, making the skin feel more alive than the rest of my tired body.  I inhale, the cold rushing all the way down into my core, coming back out in a cloud.

The sun is almost over the mountains.  It catches the frost covering the harvested rice fields, turning them a shimmering white/grey like some expensive fabric.  As the sun climbs higher, the frost sparkles.

Yes, the weather this morning was beautiful and invigorating.  The pink cheeks and noses of the elementary students hurrying to school were adorable.  Does it make me love winter?  No.  But it makes me pause to appreciate that every day, even a winter day, can be amazing.  But my nose is staring to run and my toes are frozen.  Time to hurry on to school.