Snow

Emotions change in the winter. It has nothing directly to do with the position of the Earth or with the amount of sunlight portions of the planet receive during this season, although emotions may also be affected by these things. The change to which I am referring is caused by the presence of snow. Therefore, people who live in places that do not receive snow will remain unaffected. Snow, especially when falling but also when just laying on the ground, creates a sound. This sound is difficult to describe and barely audible, but is akin to the sound emitted by a muted television. Those unable to hear a muted television may also remain unaffected by this seasonal change in emotion.

Although this sound is faint, it has the power to drown out neighboring sounds, so that the listener is left with an increased sense of loneliness. This loneliness is not obviously bothersome, but it may cause the listener to seek out the company of others and listen more intently to what they have to say. The empathy levels of the listener rise, and he/she is able to tolerate conversations and opinions that would normally cause irritation. The listener may pay undeserved compliments to others, and gladly accept compliments from those whose thoughts and opinions truly do not matter. Plights for sympathy may be granted, strange kindnesses may be given, and, as a result, odd relationships may be formed, along with all of the obligations that come with such relationships. As long as enough snow is present, the listener is content with these new connections, for they are necessary to compensate for the loneliness.

But as the snow begins to melt, the sound is no longer emitted and the normal sounds of daily life grow louder. The listener no longer feels loneliness or empathy for others. Those that surround the listener become objects of annoyance. While the reasons for friendship have vanished, the obligations remain. The listener begins to feel smothered and finds it necessary to destroy these new relationships, all the while wondering why they began in the first place. He/she has no idea that they were the end result of frozen drops of water falling from the sky. The listener soon may be surrounded by enemies, and may find it necessary to make adjustments in his/her life. But unless these changes involve a relocation to a warmer climate or a desensitization of hearing, then the cycle will begin anew the following winter, and listeners everywhere will fall victim to the sound of snow.

I am cold. I am lonely. But I am glad, for there is no snow to be heard. I have no snow to make me feel. And no one needs to get hurt.

Learn more about this author, Chris Custer.
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