Nature is a wondrous, magical thing. Everything from a falling star to the morning dew is its own small miracle. As children seeing the world for the first time, it’s easy to appreciate every natural phenomenon to the fullest (remember sticking your tongue out to taste the rain?) but those feelings are rarely so common in adulthood.
That’s why it’s so cool when we see grown-ups able to conjure true childlike awe—it’s almost like we remember to give ourselves permission to do the same.
Recently, people were brought to this space of pure joy after watching a Ugandan man experiencing snow for the first time.
The video was posted by a man named Peter, hailing from Uganda, and Marie, a Canadian woman. The couple have dedicated their entire TikTok account to documenting their life and travels.
This particular clip, which has racked up nearly 6 million views, shows Peter overcome with joy as gingerly places his hands on Canadian snow.
“Oh my god! I’m so so happy to see the snow my first time,” he says, grinning ear to ear.
Giggling, he continues to pat the snow, calling it “beautiful” and “white” with utter reverence.
Finally, he even introduces himself to the snow, saying “Nice to meet you.”
Honestly, there’s nothing that can be written to properly capture the moment. You have to see it for yourself.
@peterandmarie @PETER ROCK CBM. Seeing snow for the first time in Canada 🇨🇦❄️🥶 #firstsnow #seeingsnowforfirsttime #ugandanincanada #canadawinterlife #interracialfamily ♬ original sound – Peter & Marie 🇺🇬🇨🇦
Many viewers noted how special seeing snow for the first time can be.
“I love it when people experience snow for the first time, (it’s) like they’ve found childlike joy all over again,” one person wrote.
And while snow might be a rarer sighting than other natural phenomena (about two-thirds of the world’s population have never seen it), it certainly isn’t the only one that can take our breath away.
As John Keats once said, “the poetry of the earth is never dead.” Maybe the first step to reclaiming childlike joy is to look at the world around us with pure appreciation. Sensing the poetry in it all. It might be a challenge to truly see things as though it was the first time, as we once did in our youth. But now, with the wisdom of adulthood, we know that it could be our last. So enjoy it to the fullest.
So go ahead. Touch the snow. Taste the rain. Bask in a flower bloom. Remember that life is a miracle.