"Why not do it every day.
Take a moment and just let it be.
You can lose time every single day.
The art of living in the moment,
it’s a skill I’m constantly trying to practice."
O.M.K.

Winter arrived, quickly and with great force. In just a few days, it covered everything in a white, silent blanket: plants, trees, roads, the cabin, the river. The water in the river continued to flow for a brief moment after the snow and frost arrived, but within a day, it too came to a stop, as if exhausted from battling the freezing temperatures. There it remained, frozen in place, waiting for spring. Occasionally, you can still hear the faint tinkling of small ice crystals shifting, searching for their place among the frozen masses. Otherwise, the riverbank is enveloped in complete silence. Even the swans left noisily for the south the day before the snowfall. They knew when it was time to leave.

Winter quieted the landscape. It’s as if everything is asleep, waiting for the first warm rays of spring sunlight to awaken it all back to life.

My mind also feels like it has come to a standstill, as if it too has been burdened with a heavy blanket of snow. Peace, calm, and rest are present in everyday life. There’s no need to rush, as living with snow takes its own time. Getting moving, digging out of the cabin—it all takes time. Snow needs to be cleared in the morning, the car must be cleaned of snow and ice, and more layers of clothing are needed in the freezing weather.

Lately, living in the moment has taken on an important role in my life. I’ve discovered new kinds of experiences in nature—just being, breathing, letting time come and go. I’ve had conversations with several people about how there are so many different ways to live. Life doesn’t need to constantly be on the edge, dangerous and fast-paced. For me, living in the moment means especially appreciating and enjoying the small, simple things.

In nature, I find the peace and calm that I need to learn how to live one moment at a time. Nature doesn’t rush; it shows by example how life moves at its own pace, one day at a time, even when it doesn’t always seem that way. Time is relative to nature. Waiting and pausing are natural. Everything has its own time, from the vibrant joy of summer to the colorless cold of winter.