The Wonder

It's THAT season. You know, that time of the year when that cold white fluffy stuff falls from the sky and everyone complains about it on fb. Haha...
Contrary to popular belief, I actually love snow. Yup that's right. It gives me all the feels. However, I will be one of the first ones to admit that snow in March is enough and I am at that point in time dreaming of warm sunny days and going to the beach. BUT, in December - February I am A OK with it. Not only am I ok with it, it actually excites me. Like a little girl looking out her bedroom window in the morning wondering if she'll have to go to school excited. Most adults out grow that.. haha.. but for some reason I never have. The first time it snows, even if just a flurry, still makes me giddy. Why do I have this immature obsession with snow, when most other adults are scoffing at the very thought of it? At this point as an adult it's no longer about snow days, sledding, or building a snowman. So then what it is?

One thing I've notice about all people, is that we like to feel in control. We control our days and schedules. As adults we all have a job to do everyday whether it be a job out of the house, or if we work from home. We most likely get up the same time everyday, work the same hours everyday, and we probably even eat dinner close to the same time every day. Even if you don't work, you probably still have a routine that flows throughout each of your days. Schedules and routine control our lives, and we're in the driver seat. Until snow happens. Snow can be annoying, inconvenient, and can totally ruin plans. BUT so can having kids haha. And like having kids, I love the unpredictability and the "beautiful mess" that snow can bring. Here in New England, snow comes and goes when it pleases. When it comes, it forces us to realize that we aren't always in control. That's not to say that if you have plans to go to Boston to see a show and a storm prevents you from going, that it isn't annoying and inconvenient. Of course it is! But so is going to Disney World with 10 people (4 of which are 3 toddlers and a baby) and having EVERYONE get the stomach bug....... not that I would have any clue what that's like lol ; ) But anyway! My point here is that sometimes life doesn't go the way we planned, snow or no snow. So you can come up with 20 different scenarios to try and convince me of why snow is terrible, and yet I will still jump for joy when the first major snow storm hits.

Snow gives us an excuse and a chance to SLOW DOWN. This day and age I'm not even sure most people have the ability to slow down on their own. Sometimes a major snow storm is what it takes for us busy bodies to settle down. I wouldn't necessarily consider myself a "busy body", and yet I too am guilty of planning my days and life with the expectation of everything going just as planned. Snow has a way of making me slow down and "go with the flow", and I like it. People also drive slower in the snow. Everyone's always in such a rush these days that it's nice to see people taking their time, not cutting people off, and not having ridiculous road rage. When it's snowing I notice people are a lot nicer, quicker to let someone go in front of them, and will even stop to help someone who is on the side of the road in some sort of trouble. I can't even tell you how often I see people pulled over or stopped in a random place on the road (clearly with something wrong) and people just keep driving. Not even a roll down the window with an "are you ok?". Why is that? Well because "everyone has cell phones these days" (is what most people say), and because everyone's in a rush. There's no time to stop and help someone else. And yet.. when it's snowing, I always see people stop or at least roll their window down asking people if they're ok. Snow has that effect on people. When you're only driving 10 or 20 miles an hour and probably already late for work, stopping to help someone is way less inconvenient and seems like the right thing to do. Snow slows us down, and makes us more aware of what's going on around us. We're all in it together. We're all trying to get to work or wherever we're going while attempting to manage the roads safely.

Snow gets kids out and about knocking on people's doors asking if they can shovel their driveway for them. It brings neighbors together chatting outside while they're shoveling, when typically everyone just keeps to themselves these days. I have a cranky neighbor (haha), but every once in a while he will shovel out the front of our house for us when it snows! Snow reminds us that we are all on this earth together. It's takes us out of our little bubble of control and the people we normally allow into it, and shows us something else. Snow brings all people together.

I very often have this day dream. In the dream Nate and I are snowed in somewhere. We are inside a little log house cabin in the middle of the woods with a fire place going. Feet of snow everywhere, and snow covering every branch of every tree. It's a magical picture of what snow means to me - Spending endless hours watching the snow fall with loved ones, getting cozy by a fire, and the simplicity of life it all brings. You're probably thinking "the simplicity of life? Life isn't simple." You're right, it isn't. Hence the reason there's so much tension between people and the idea of snow. Snow goes against everything we know as people. We have places to go and things to do. In fact, most would say there's not enough hours in the day to get done all they have to do. Most people would argue that there's nothing "simple" about snow, and that it's nothing more than chaotic and complicated in every way. I disagree. I think snow is very simple. Maybe it's us and our lives that are complicated and chaotic, and snow just doesn't fit into it all.

One of my favorite movie moments of all time, is from the Chronicles of Narnia - The lion, the witch, and the wardrobe. It's the scene where Lucy enters the wardrobe for the first time. As she wanders further and further into the wardrobe, she eventually stumbles into the snowy world of Narnia. No matter how many times I see it, I get all goose bumpy and excited. If only in real life we could walk through some sort of closet right into another world. It would be something truly magical of course. It reminds me though, of waking up in the morning to see that it snowed over night. When I was a kid I always loved when that happened. You go to bed in one kind of a world, and wake up in another quite different.

There's clearly a nostalgia that kicks in for me when it's snowing. It's an unexplainable joy. Snow is so beautiful. That's just me though. Maybe you hate snow! I get it. It's cold and inconvenient, and can absolutely overstay it's welcome. However, don't let it ruin your life for 3 months. Find something beautiful in it. Stop and slow down, even if for just a moment.. and take time to admire the wonder of it all.