December 3 Moment. Pick one moment during which you felt most alive this year. Describe it in vivid detail (texture, smells, voices, noises, colors). (Author: Ali Edwards)

Wow, choosing just one moment from a stellar year is pretty tough (which is certainly the point).  Running the Hannover Half-Marathon had me kind of feeling like superwoman.  Seeing some of my tribe in DC made my heart burst with joy, as usual.  Spending time with my family in Seattle reminded of what really matters in life.  Rocking out at Pearl Jam’s concert in Berlin had me dancing like no one was watching.

All of those were pretty great moments of feeling deeply alive.

But maybe one of the most memorable was the Alstereisvergnügen. The what, you ask?  The rare occasion when it becomes so cold in Hamburg that the Alster, the large lake in the middle of the city, freezes over solidly enough that the entire city can come out and party on the lake.

It was late afternoon on Valentine’s Day when we decided to take a stroll across the ice.  The sun was low and made the sky glow golden behind the gray wintry clouds.  The weather was bitterly cold, my feet were frozen, and my lips were numb — but I couldn’t get over my giddiness.  And my giddiness was magnified by the smiles on the faces of the thousands of other Hamburger, young and old alike, taking pleasure in the shear novelty of taking a stroll across the frozen lake.

Sharing that pure, child-like joy with everyone on the ice that afternoon made me feel truly alive, and what’s more, had me feeling truly at home in my adopted city.

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This post is part of Reverb 10, a process of reflecting and manifesting during the entire month of December.  You can join over here!