Hello Her Campus readers. I hope you are currently warm enough to take off your gloves, open your laptops, iphones, ipads, or other forms of technology, and read this article. At this very moment, I am thawing on the second floor of the Shapiro Undergraduate Library trying to function. If you waved to me, I probably didn’t see you because I’m currently too cold to function. As you can see, this weather most certainly has its complications. Let’s be real, though: doesn’t every situation have positives and negatives? You may not believe me, but I have found the silver lining to this once again horrific winter we have entered here in Michigan. If you don’t agree with me, that’s fine. You don’t have to listen to me. Meanwhile, for those of you who are interested, I wanted to let you know my insight on all of the positives of winter in the tundra (Ann Arbor).
Okay, so you may not be able to tan out on your porch, play frisbee on the lawn, or go to the beach or lake. Indeed, you are probably forced right now to spend a lot more time inside than you want to. Well, you may not realize it, but that is a great thing! Being inside is a great excuse to sit on the couch, wrapped up in a blanket, and read a great book. For foodies like me, it is also a GREAT excuse to bake. I am not sure why I tend to mentally link the ideas of winter and cookies together, but I guess it because when you are outside, you don’t have time to make great things in the kitchen. This is your chance! Go find your friends and make something delicious. Baking is a great excuse for a study break (and the results of it make for great study snacks).
Speaking of studying, the lack of warm weather is just another reason to increase productivity in terms of schoolwork. Since there is snow on the ground and no Football Saturdays, use this to your advantage and get ahead. You will be thanking yourself on Friday night when you start to worry about all the other things you have to do.
Okay, you get it; you’re going to be inside a lot. This doesn’t mean that you can’t be outside at all. Although people like me come from a similar climate, there are those of you who have never seen snow before Michigan and probably won’t see it again when you go back home. The snow is absolutely wonderful, and the good news is we have an abundance of it here in Michigan! Go out and make snow angels and go sledding in the Arb (believe me, you won’t be the only one there). Also, for those of you social media addicts, I think that the scenic view of Ann Arbor covered in white powdery snow makes for a great Instagram picture, doesn’t it?
As I said, the winter gives you an opportunity to seek out other inside activities. It’s a great time to try great new restaurants on Main Street, go ice skating at Yost, and of course, to go to the basketball games! Enjoy your winter. Don’t complain about it. Instead, make the best of it before it’s gone and we’re back to the iffy March/April weather where it’s cold and you have no snow on the ground.
Photo credit: http://photos2.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/2/3/f/c/event_172269212.jpeg