I hate the winter. I hate the cold that makes you resent nature for turning against you. I hate how your fingers get so cold, it starts to hurt. I hate how heavy I feel walking due to all the layers I have to wear. I hate feeling hot inside buildings with the heater on because I chose to wear a turtleneck that day. I hate the masks and ear muffs combo; my ears go through so much, I wonder how they hold on.
Then comes the snow. While it’s a general consensus to detest the cold, many people are enchanted, dare I say obsessed with the “beauty” of the snow. We celebrate the first snowfall and take snow pictures. We have even made snow sports like sledding and ice skating to commemorate our love for the snow. Even the animals are able to see through its manipulation because they all migrate to the south. The plants die and fresh fruits are things of the past; in fact, all signs of life and joy are gone
I’m just gonna say, I live in New York so my hate isn’t developed from living in a new cold region. My hate has been molded into a perfect little bowl of fury over the years. The snow manipulation is worse here in New England because the surroundings change so dramatically with the seasons so people start to see the snow-covered streets and iced lakes in the same vein as pretty trees in Autumn.
The white colour is very deceiving. People associate white with cleanliness like hospitals or happiness like weddings or even religiously with angels. Positive traits with the colour are one of the ways snow tricks us. And yes, I’m personifying snow in this article. Under its white facade, snow traps in dirt and pollutants like smoke, especially if you live in places like New York where there are more people than the city can contain. (source)
When snow falls, it eventually becomes black ice which I passionately call the slippery slope of death. Snow is responsible for about 1,300 vehicle collisions every year. (source) It’s not just car crashes, you can also get injured from slips and falls, some get lucky to land on their butts and the not-so-lucky ones land on their heads. Walking down the Macgregor hill was a life-or-death affair after the snowstorm. Every step was basically a fight for dear life. It’s similar to the Glass tile challenge in the show Squid Game where they had to decide which glass would hold their body weight and which would break and send them to their grave, a classic Russian roulette. That’s how it feels to walk on snow.
In the same vein, snow is painful. Numb fingers, toes, and ears. It also comes with the possibility of hypothermia and frostbite. Have you heard of anyone losing their limbs due to too much heat? Let us not forget the most popular inconvenience, shovelling. The glorious moment where you have to painstakingly remove the snow from your stairs, sidewalk, and/or car.
Snow is only pretty if you stare at it from inside a heated room as you’re sipping a cup of hot chocolate. If I never see a drop of snow in my life again, I would be at peace.
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