At least hes looking.
There is a song by MGMT called Time to Pretend. Many of you have probably heard it, even if you tried not to.
If we are simplifying things to the point of exhaustion, it is a song about quick fades, fast endings and the beauty that can be found in between. And as it were, speaking of things fading, the snow in Eagle County (life at its peak tm) has been doing just that.
Vail, and Colorado in general, (if you have been following things at nws.noaa.gov) is in the middle of some desperate, I would rather stay home and watch home shopping network-type conditions. People on the street give each other that look, which, if you happen instead to be looking at that fantastic fur coat through the Bridge Street Boutique's window, is the look of utter defeat.
Fortunately though, all is not lost, hope remains in the valley. The other day, one particularly jubilant observer pleasantly noted, "Well, you know, March is statistically the snowiest month in Vail." You can't argue with hope. Or you can, but than you just look like a jerk... or Rush Limbaugh.
Anyways.
People around here, aren't too happy. But then you remember you are in Colorado, able most of the time, when you choose, to ski all day long, in one of the most incredible places on the planet. And then if you have any sort of moral compass, you mentally slap yourself for being so damn depressing. Colorado is a beautiful place. So beautiful even, that it is really damn hard to forget this when you are here. But it can be done. I am sure there are lots of places like this in the world - in fact I know there are lots more places like this in the world.
Costa Rica, the vast pacific, sand beneath your feet, salt in your hair, the saturated air after a rain storm, storm clouds on the horizon as the sun breaks through, and triple overhead sets rolling in. A fleeting glimpse of childhood wonder.
You are spiritually bankrupt if you cannot see this for what it is.
Amazing every time. And again, it's hard to forget (or rather it should be and I keep hoping it is) about that kind of beauty. But sometimes, still, we manage to. When MGMT talks about the weight of the world, it is just this - an observation of all of this around us, pressingly beautiful, and, yes, sometimes really, really terrible - But the beauty is always there to balance it out, even if you cannot see or feel it - or really, even believe it. And that's also why in Time To Pretend, the lead singer says, "...I miss the weight of the world." It can be lost, and sometimes, if you forget to keep looking, you can't ever find it again.
Sometimes, they know what they're talking about.
So although, here I am in Colorado, no snow, inside a stuffy apartment, a plastic box, with a number of Safeway croissants, and generic store-brand coffee next to me as I write... I know what's out there if I choose to look.
And as I stare out the window, cautiously optimistic, with eyes open, the snow begins to fall.
