Snow!

It's snowing in Shanghai!

I left work tonight to find all the world lightly powdered with fresh snow & more flakes drifting down all around. The air was crisp, like a new beginning, & it made me feel cheery. Perhaps it's because it's Christmas time. Perhaps it's because I'm starting a new job & I feel hopeful. Perhaps it's just because snow is beautiful.

A few years ago I never would have believed that I could feel happy at the sight of snow. I moved to Arizona to get away from the slush & the muck of Ohio winters, swearing I would never go back north. But today I was delighted to feel the fluffy flakes on my face, to see everything turning white around me.

I took out my camera & started snapping photos, feeling like an awkward tourist, until I looked up to see several other people taking photos too. It doesn't normally snow here in Shanghai, & it's got everyone charmed.