Princeton
by Ian Gibson
	The first thing I noticed was the cold. It rushed past the barely opened door, touched by bare 
toes, rose swiftly up my thinly-clothed legs, and buffeted my face with winter briskness. Then it was 
the wind. My hair, ever wild and uncontrollable, took to the air in a fit of frenzy. It was as if my mid-
fall gear wasn't even there at all, the December air mocking my horrible wardrobe decision with frigid 
laughter.
	At first, it was frustration. A long walk lay ahead of me and the weather seemed only to prolong 
the torture. The heavy door closed behind me, sealing off the abundance of warm, toasty air from my 
shivering body. Stones, laid centuries ago by talented hands, rose all around me in an elaborate 
archway. The architect's holy cross – the arch – rose above my head. In that moment, it seemed as if the 
building took pleasure in its belittling of me. 
	My first steps were mere stumbles, attempting to gain ground in a surprising new environment. 
A quick pause to prepare myself for the miniature adventure ahead and I was off. My chin pressed 
firmly to my chest, I stepped out from underneath my stony enclave and took on the winter weather. 
Shifting eyes attempted to pick out a safe route whilst simultaneously hiding from the frigid wind.
	I froze. Not literally, for it was nowhere near that cold of a temperature, but rather I ceased all 
movement and held myself still in shock and reverence, my eyes tracking the slow fall of enormous 
snowflakes. It was to be cold, that much I had known, but it wasn't supposed to snow. Yet here I was, a 
single shivering soul, amidst a cloud of dazzling snowflakes. 
	I smiled. In all my haste to bear the cold and hurry towards my destination, I had forgotten it all. 
The miracle of life, the beauty of nature, the insignificance of myself - I had forgotten it all. Here 
before me lay a beautiful sight, a sight to behold once a season if your in the perfect climate at the 
perfect moment. Giant, luminous clumps of pure bliss floated down from the heavens to land upon me.
	I stared. It was a holy moment, when everything around you begs for your attention and awe. I 
simply stood there, transfixed by the beauty of all. An ancient courtyard, traversed by thousands of the 
brightest scholars of decades past, lay before me. I could see them all, each in differing garb yet 
walking in the same confident manner, each with a purpose with which to place each foot after the 
other.  
	I walked. Never have I strode with such gallantry, such motivation, such utter contemplation 
upon all of the world. Snowflakes rested upon the ground, one after another, until the entire scene was 
blanketed with white. It was such a strong moment, one in which I was focused and yet absent-minded, 
driven yet lost. My mind was adrift in the beauty of the universe, exploring the complexities it displays 
flagrantly, pondering the intricacies of the smallest interactions.
	I knew it would end eventually, it always did, but that didn't concern me. All I wanted was to 
enjoy the moment for what it was – a single instance of pure, unfiltered thought surround by a beautiful 
scene, forever incorruptible, forever uncontrollable.