My Snow Globe

By  Usha Krishnan

I had a Snow Globe with me which was treasured by me as a memorabilia of my father. In my childhood days, I used to get fancied in twisting, turning and shaking my snow globe up and down. It was a pleasure to see the tiny clouds of snow in it churning down slowly then. A tiny transparent sphere made of glass it was. Within it, was enclosed a miniature town; a replica of a town in some farther land, maybe seven seas beyond?

There were snow-covered trees with withered leaves in it. There were Porcelain beauties with rosy cheeks and oceanic eyes with their tresses of long hair cascading down, waiting for someone. There were handsome young men with sculptured looks and chiselled features pacing forward as if on some mission. There were old men, with expectant eyes limping slowly as if searching for a perfect place to rest for a while. There were little kids with wide eyes filled with wonder and an eagerness to do a merry-go-round around the snow-cladded trees. 

It was a delight to just sit cosily in my room, looking at my adorable Snow Globe for hours and hours together and adding my own words to the thought bubbles of the characters in it. Weaving strings of dialogues for their conversation in my fancy was another pastime for me then. I did not know how hours were passing by while I was in my silent conversation with my cute, delicate Snow Globe.

There was a Christmas tree within it with an added glitz of silver stars and baubles. When Christmas arrives in my hometown, our streets and the front yard of the houses would be embellished with Christmas Stars in various colours and shapes. Taking a walk through our streets, clinging to my elder sister's hands looking admirably at those glittering stars was a much-awaited leisure time activity for me then. On reaching back to my room, I still don't know how many times I wished for those figurines in my Snow Globe to come to life and those stars to shine for me in real!!!  

As years passed by, even though I was still finding fancy in the realm of my woven thoughts associated with the Snow Globe, I could feel a sudden sleek of awareness engulf me with the realisation that they are all enclosed within that snow dome, only to entice me like a mirage. A flash of realisation about the non-accessibility of anything which is bonded within, even though how sparkling it would be!!

Seasons came and went many times. I was pursuing post-graduation in English Literature. While delving deep into the poetic style of John Keats, his famous poem, 'Ode on a Grecian Urn' came to sight. Getting engaged in the process of going through the ornamental description of the Grecian Urn, I realized that the image of my Snow Globe was surfacing in my mind again and again. 

I was reminiscing about the mysterious beauty of my Snow Globe. I could realize how much I was missing it. I  thankfully remember those days when this Snow Globe of mine was inspiring me to unleash my potential of creative thinking by weaving many predictions and perceptions on the various scenes depicted in my Snow Globe.!!

Later on, as many cycles of  Seasons were casting their imprints on me, I realized that the Snow Globe urges us to think about its symbolic representation of a situation that we go through in our adulthood, where we are ensnared by the expectations of others, a kind of snow globe life. Even then, dreaming of a Snow Globe still gives me a pleasant feeling, predicting new horizons of adventures and promises that are waiting for me in the days to come.

It also gives me the afterthought that, if there is a snowstorm occurs unexpectedly in this journey of life and takes any twist and turn or gives any upward and downward shakings, and in any case if things are getting churned up, why be upset? Let us consider them as the settling of snow in a Snow Globe with the ardent belief that one more twist, one more turn, a shaking here, a bending there and a little amount of patience to wait, everything would be back to normal.  

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