Weekly Writing – January 21 2022

It snowed the night before she left for her pilgrimage. The leaves were still green on the trees, the sunrise still autumn’s crackling orange, but winter stretched its blue through the shadows, and some of the others muttered that it was a bad sign.
Some of them, a little more practical than that, just said it was sure to make things harder for her. She would have to carry warmer clothes, and long skis to tie to her boots if the snow got deeper.
But to her, stepping out of her tent that morning, it felt meant. Only right. She had never seen those colours in nature together, the seasons all in a glittering collage. It could only be right for her to see something new and brilliant that morning.
On the day she was to set out to see so many more new things. The world was reaching out to remind her how wonderful it would be.
She breathed it deep enough to sting her nose, the back of her throat. Beautiful. The world was reminding her not to be afraid, and she nodded to let it know she understood.