mother nature recreates the city

 The winter rain settled over Geneva creating a grey world lit only by city lights glowing from windows and reflecting off puddles.  It was hard to remember what the sun looked like and the city began to feel very bleak.  Some people adore cities in the rain finding it an added element of beauty to the already stimulating view.  I, however, found that it added to my feeling of entrapment in a world built by humans and lacking the refreshing perspective of nature.  The grey cloud hanging over felt like a bubble holding me into the city.  Growing up in the Colorado mountains made it difficult for me to find peace in the concrete jungle offered by cities.  There is beauty in architecture and manicured gardens but there is something unsatisfying about knowing that they were created by man and are not of the earth.  For me, true beauty lies in what is natural and wild.  Mother nature is a force uncontrollable by man and creates the worlds most breathtaking sculptures and backgrounds without the use of hands, making her the world's most talented artist. 

After a very cold night with winds that knocked at my shutters begging to break into my warm sheltered apartment, I ventured out for my usual walk along the lake.  To my great surprise, I found that mother nature had found her way into the city and had created a work of art out of the lake front.  The high winds had carried the lake water onto the shore and coated everything in its reach with a glistening layer of ice.  Every tree, twig, bush, blade of grass, and man made structure along the shore was frozen into a moment of peace.  The police had blocked off the iced over walk way, but I ducked under the rope and tip toed along the frozen ground crunching the delicately frozen grass.  I was sharing the moment with only a few other brave souls who risked breaking their tailbones walking across sheets of ice.  We all stood in amazement touching trees that were bending forward under the extra weight.  The park benches looked like cave walls with stalactites and stalagmites of ice.  Mother nature had successfully reminded us that not even city walls can keep her at bay.  She can recreate our world at her will turning an ordinary city into an icy wonderland.