After the snow had fallen on Sunday afternoon I decided that I needed to get out and be in nature. I have been longing for a space of time where I could escape my home life and reconnect with the powers that be. It felt so good outside. A bit cold at first but once I started walking, my body warmed up and I felt exhilarated. I need to get out more often. My intention was to get some exercise but more importantly to have a meditative walk. One in which I could clear my mind. Focus on a mantra and nothing else. I decided that my mantra would be just to listen to the outdoors. I don't know if that was an acceptable mantra but it was my walk and my meditation so I did what I felt was right for me. When other thoughts entered into my head I cleared them as best I could. I'm pretty new to meditation and any experimenting I have done with it was a long time ago. Needless to say I have a busy mind so dismissing thoughts was difficult but I did my best. I focused on listening to the sound of my boots crunching in the snow underneath me. The occasional birds chirped and just when I was getting a sense of really being away from the world, a plane flew overhead. When I stopped walking though there was only silence. It was a thick silence because the snow acts like a sound absorber. It sounded like my ears were plugged. What a refreshing way to invigorate my soul. I brought my camera and snapped a few shots of winter. Nothing special really, just some images that made me thankful that I to live so close to the mountains.