Growing up, the only time you’d hear me saying I liked the snow is if it were the reason school was canceled. Snow meant cold temperatures and inevitably being forced to help shovel. I didn’t like shoveling, I didn’t like being cold, and I didn’t like the way snow seeped through all my clothing and made me wet. Cold and wet are not a good mix. My perfectionist self was never satisfied with any snowman I ever tried to build, sledding is WAY more of a workout than anyone would admit, snow angels get ruined when you stand up, and contrary to every winter movie— snowball fights just aren’t that common.
As I grew up, winter meant more dangerous driving conditions, more shoveling responsibilities, and a whole lot of seasonal depression. The only winter sport I ever liked was figure skating, but it didn’t really have to be winter to go skating. People who liked winter confused me. I did not understand how you could enjoy all that came with winter and I used to have a countdown for when winter ended.
I am not exactly sure when I started to like snow. It was definitely sometime after I drove my car into a snowbank my first year. But little by little snow seeped its way into my heart. I definitely started noticing how much I missed snow in our recently dry winters. The lack of snow made me realize how much I actually wanted it. Now, even a snowy weather prediction is enough to bring a smile to my face. My friends have actually compared my face when I find out it’s snowing to that of a puppy seeing snow for the first time.
In the past year, I’ve spent more time enjoying the snow than the first nineteen years of my life combined. I built a snowman with my residents, let them pummel me with snowballs, went sledding on campus, made a snow angel, and even did a little shoveling. I love to take walks while it’s snowing and have spent a decent amount of time trying to get my friends to spend time outside with me as the temperature drops. I just realize how much prettier everything looks under a blanket of snow and how wonderful it is to come inside and cuddle up under a blanket with a hot cocoa after playing in the snow.
I am sad I spent most of my life complaining about the snow. I wish I had known just how much I’d love it, then maybe I could have found this love sooner. My newfound love for snow has me wondering what else I hated before but might like now. Maybe I’ll try standing on the roof of a really tall building or holding a spider, maybe not.