Winter beauty

Last week, when the snow was falling again, I missed the bus to school. I sighed. Oh, well, I could still walk to school. It wasn’t too far, and I could easily get there in time for class. As I relaxed my frantic steps and slowed to a leisurely stroll, I was free to notice my surroundings. Snow filled the scene. It muted, calmed, and softened the world around me. The buildings and sidewalks on which it lay seemed at peace. With grateful eyes I watched the new, clean, soft snow cover the old, filthy, jagged ice from sight and touch. I turned the corner and stepped on a white carpet of snow. My footprints would be the first in the snow on this stretch of sidewalk. As I made those footprints, I refreshed my weary vision with the sight of pure, smooth whiteness. For so long, it seemed, I had been trudging through a wilderness of dingy, dirty brown and gray that stained my boots and suitcase wheels. Now I washed my boots with every step, and the fresh snow hid them from the constant mud. I pulled down my fuzzy orange scarf, breathed in the crisp, cold winter air, and smiled. I was actually glad that I had missed the bus.