Breathtaking. We all have had experiences that we describe as breathtaking. A stunning sunrise, or sunset. A night sky that draws us into the cosmos with magnetic attraction. Woods that are shrouded in snow. Ice encapsulating a tree. The roaring waves of the ocean. A magnificent flower. A mountain vista. Nature gives us many opportunities to take our breath away! 

This winter I have had other experiences that are breathtaking - literally. I have had the pleasure of skiing on local golf courses and bike paths. Some days it has been frigid! The wind whips down and grabs my breath and makes me work for each gulp of air. I wonder- should I stop and breathe or just catch a bit of air before it is sucked away?  On Saturday, skiing across Long Pond at Grafton, I had to stop and put on my neoprene face mask so the wind wouldn't remove my skin! The power of the wind is always breathtaking! 

I watched the wind blow through the trees spreading puffs of snow over the hemlocks. There was such beauty in the music made in the branches and the rustling of leaves still hanging on beeches. Wind clears dead limbs, but it also cracks living trees and sends them sprawling to the forest floor.

As with all things in nature, there is that fragile balance and tipping point. I would love to have the majesty and music of the wind without the destruction. I love the caress of the breeze but shiver as the harsh wind tears at my skin and clothes. Breathtaking becomes serious! And so is the lesson that life is filled with what is life-giving and death-dealing. Living into both is the source of peace.

Do you have a breathtaking story to tell?

Photo courtesy of Tracy Watson ~ Wind rippling across Pyramid Lake

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