Freezing...

...In the land of Sahasrara

I love Snow. I remember the thrill and excitement I had when I saw it glowing gold on the tip of the Himalayas, the abode of not just snow, but also Lord Shiva. The same snow that adorns the matted locks of the Lord of Yoga, the Lord of Tapas, (Burning fire of Meditation), is here abound and all around in Chicago.
I believed it when I was told not to venture out for a walk in this cold weather, -10 Degrees C and 25 Degrees F. I stayed indoors for nine days. My outings were inside warm cars and into warm stores and malls.
I know what it feels like to be cut off from nature - nature deficit disorder, they seem to call it here. When my mind was trapped in the belief that I can't make it, there was this cute child in the neighbourhood, who darted out of her house in colourful winter clothing. She ran straight to a heap of snow at the end of the road, made a tiny snowman and got back home.
"Now if a little child can make it, why can't I?" She provided enough reason for my adamency and that afternoon, inspired by her, I broke out of the confines of a warm home, to walk down into the freedom of the avenue road. Six inches of snow collected on either sides, dried elms standing bare, dark green spruce with blobs of snow smothering it, icy winds that wafted the powdery snow across the road, just like sand being pushed around in a dust storm and my dear old sun, shedding its warm grace. I was in meditation. In Yoga. One with nature, united in tune with my surroundings.
The wind was cold indeed, biting at my cheeks, the only exposed part of myself. The moisture in the pores of my face was freezing and I had to pat it to get warm. It didn't matter if I was the only one enjoying a walk down the road. I was told that people walk only in summer and not winter. They rather stay indoors and work out. But I couldn't just care. The cold wind, the downy snow beneath the feet, the smoking white flurries all around, the bright sunshine, the silent trees, a lone giant bushy-tailed squirrel minding its own business with a nut on a tree top - were all one whole of which I was part of.
When I got back home after my tiny expedition beneath the big blue sky, it told on my face, on the bouncing energy that I transformed into, on the radiance I saw in the mirror for myself...
Me and nature are one and I can't let walls of wood or concrete come in the way. I will not let my shelter become a prison. I will break loose. I will break free, no matter who or whatever it is that stops me. Nobody shall take my nature away from me, because what is free is just me, my soul, my being and essence.