Snow in a Quiet World

The snow is falling like cotton balls from the sky. It's heavy and wet. The layer sitting on top of the grass is soaking into my old running shoes as I stand there in the silence. My feet are wet. But I have to stand there, still, as I wait for my black lab to sniff the ground. 


My old dog is blind and arthritic. She doesn't move very fast and cannot see anything at all. I wonder if the blanket of heavy silence brought on by the snowfall is like the blanket of darkness that is the world my dog lives in. My sweet old lab- she just stands in one spot until it is all sniffed out, then takes a few small stiff steps and sniffs that area. 


I'm not even cold as I watch her. She has such a small world now. My world was small once, and simple. I only required my basic needs to be met. But now I've seen the world, and have vivid, cascading, billowing thoughts rushing through my head all the time. I don't know if these urges make my world complicated or exciting. But I'm enjoying this serene moment just standing here with nothing more to do than walk my dog, leading her a few feet at a time, steering her away from walls and curbs, keeping her on the snowy grass, and just listen to the silence. I stand here in the grey cloud enjoying the heavy atmosphere.