Wild ice and confused stars

[asakiyume]

Wild Ice

The good thing about really deep cold is ice in all the wild places: on streams, in wetlands, on ponds and puddles in the woods. Wild ice. I love finding it and sliding on it.

Sometimes it doesn't take much searching to find. I took a friend for a walk around a pond, and sure enough, the pond was frozen. Because I had a friend with me ("don't go out on the ice by yourself," the radio admonished the other day), I ventured out a little, inching past the cattails. "Be careful," my friend said anxiously. I didn't get more than a yard away from shore. Even so: how delicious it was, to be on ice under a wide sky. I held both arms up--triumph!

Later we came to a lookout point--sort of a gazebo at the end of a pier, sticking onto the pond.

"Wow, you could really get onto the ice here," my friend said.

"Good idea!"

I lowered myself off the pier and onto the ice.

"Ughh, why did I go and suggest this," she groaned.

"No, it's good." I said. "Look how strong it is." I held onto the pier and jumped hard. The ice was quite firm--wonderful. I walked a little way out and drew some patterns in the snow on her suggestion.

Later I sent her a message, thanking her for coming with me on my quest for wild ice, and she sent back this message:

Thanks for sharing your ice joy with me! It was magical to feel such fear while witnessing such joy.

Her words got me thinking about the special flavor of joy that comes in the face of fear.



Confused Stars

The Japanese word for planet is wakusei (惑星), which if you go character by character means "confused star," or "lost star" for planets' habits of wandering as if lost in the night sky. On Thursday evening I walked to the supermarket, and behind me Venus was shining bright blue white, with a little star beneath it that I later found out was Saturn. Ahead of me, ruby red, was Mars, up above and to the left of Betelgeuse, Orion's fainter-red shoulder. And over Orion's other shoulder, to the right, shining a warm bright gold, was Jupiter. What a beautiful, powerful sight. Almost audible--my vertebrae were vibrating.

Comments

[heleninwales]

It very rarely freezes here, so it's a long time since I saw a frozen lake.

[asakiyume]

They're less common here, too, thanks to climate change, but they do still happen. On my drive to my father's house on Saturday, I saw a guy out ice fishing on a lake with his dog for company.