I have to admit it. I don’t like winter. In fact, I hate it. It was brought to my attention, by one little girl, that maybe the best way to enjoy winter is to see it through a child’s eyes.
This post is about how I learned that lesson.
Me
I rolled out of bed. I could feel it in my bones and down my spine. It wasn’t necessary to peek out the window but I needed to confirm with my eyes what my body was already telling me. It snowed last night. Not a dusting but rather a dumping.
I groaned. Six months of winter here we come.
My Daughter
“Mommy, look at the snow!!!”
These were the first words out of my daughter’s mouth this morning. I walked into her room and saw she was standing on her bed, on her tip toes, looking out the window. Her face was beaming. Her eyes were sparkling. Snow had fallen last night and had changed the appearance of her entire world.
“Let’s go get some!” she exclaimed as she jumped off of her bed.
Me
I dug through bins looking for winter gear. Mismatched mittens. Assorted toques. Tattered scarves. Old boots.
Why do I live here? Why can’t I live someplace warmer?
My Daughter
I watched as she stomped around the front entrance in her boots. She smiled and laughed and toddled back and forth while trying to keep her balance in her big, clumsy, footwear.
We put on her mittens and she looked at them as if they were covered with diamonds and rubies. She gracefully waved and twirled her cloaked hands in front of her face.
I opened the door and watched as she clomped through the snow. She squinted as snowflakes fluttered down from the sky and landed on her eyelashes.
She grinned.
Me
I swept the snow from the windshield, slipping a few times in the ice that had formed around the car. My feet were frozen despite being in winter boots and some snow had found its way into my right boot. I could feel it already melting and my socks were absorbing the moisture.
Why couldn’t we live in a house that has a garage?
My Daughter
She sat in her car seat, wearing a great big smile as I scraped and swept the windshield. Every once and a while she would burst into laughter because I had slipped and made a funny face while doing so.
Me
What is it about the first snowfall that every person instantly forgets how to drive? I am extra tense and cautious as I accelerate through the intersections.
Why do I have to work? If I didn’t work I could hibernate all winter long and avoid miserable days such as this one.
My Daughter
“It’s raining, it’s snowing. It’s snowing. It’s snowing.”
She sings loudly.
“Mommy look! It’s snowing.”
I hadn’t noticed.
Winter’s here. Six or seven months of snow, ice and cold temperatures. Today I came to the realization that the only way I can possibly survive the coming season is if I smile and embrace it like a two-year-old.
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