Last night we had freezing rain that coated everything outside with a layer of ice. It wasn't enough to bring branches down, and it made all the trees shimmer in the morning light. The end of every branch was tipped with a tiny icicle up to an inch long.
I had to pay close attention to my footing on the walk to work, and managed to avoid most of the slippery spots. But if I hadn't been mindful, I could easily have fallen. We're so adept at walking and balance that it's easy to forget that gravity is always there, pulling us downward. There's no grace period - you don't lose your balance and then fall. "Losing your balance" is what we call it when we fall.
But today, I didn't fall. I just felt a little slipperiness underfoot in a couple of spots, and I enjoyed walking through the ice covered landscape. I can't explain why I find the shimmery ice beautiful, but I do - even if it is inconvenient and somewhat hazardous.
There's also the fact that in the brief time that the ice coats the world, it is a dominant presence. You can't ignore it, or it will make your car slide into the ditch, or cause you to fall. But it's also very fragile. A little time, a slight warming breeze, and it just melts away, ephemeral.
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