The winter struggle is cyclical, and starts the moment the thermometer dips below 60 degrees. You prepare youself by putting on a million layers so you don’t freeze.
It doesn’t matter if the calendar says it’s still fall, in your book, it’s already winter.
But the temperature keeps dropping, and every time you step outside, the crisp air is like an assault on your person.
You decide you definitely don’t like winter and wonder why you ever chose to go to school so far from home.
And then your mother calls, reminding you exactly why you’ve decided to put yourself through four years of winter.
Then comes the first snowfall of the season. It’s magic and you think that maybe you do like winter after all.
Snow days are bae and you can’t believe you’ve gone your entire life without them.
Naturally, you want to do all the wintery things.
Your newfound love of winter is compromised when you encounter ice patches on campus pathways. You genuinely fear for your safety and spend a lot of energy making sure you don’t slip.
For the first time, salt takes on a whole new meaning. You wonder where people buy it and you also hate it for ruining your favorite pair of boots.
Your excitement about snow is short lived. By the end of February, you’re over winter and ready for spring.
This is probably what you look like when your East Coast friends let you know that warmer weather is still many weeks away:
When spring finally arrives, you’re proud of yourself for surviving winter.
And next year, when the temeperature begins to drop again, you reserve the right to be dramatic about it.