Sunday, November 22, 2015

The Delight of My First Real Snowstorm in 5 Years



I've been waiting 5 years for a day like today. Last night, just as I was about to leave work, I spied few big beautiful fluffy snowflakes starting to fall from the sky, so I called the kids over to the window to see. Their gleeful grins and shouts of delight matched my own--the first snow of the year is a magical moment, one that I haven't been able to experience since 2010.

The snow started to fall more thickly as I drove home, flakes obscuring my view and whizzing past the windshield like stars past the Milennium Falcon, and yet I couldn't keep the smile off of my face. Finally, my favorite season is here--winter!



This morning when I woke up, I rushed to my bedroom window to find the scene below transformed, wiped clean, made perfect by the snow. So many times in the years I was away from home I'd dreamed of being able to have that exact moment of waking up to find the world outside blanketed in white, and experiencing it now I felt like a little kid again, made giddy by the snow.



Like Lorelai Gilmore (Gilmore Girls), snow and I have a history that goes WAY back. Some of my life's biggest moments have happened in the snow, including the day I was born. Maybe that's why I feel such a deep connection with snow, but all I know is that it fills my heart with a joy few other things do.

So during those 5 years that I was living in Europe without snow, I tried to appreciate the winter walks on the beach in the sun, or the days I could go outside in no more than just a sweater. But really, my soul was aching for a day like today.



A day where I went downstairs to make myself a hot beverage and found my mom stuffing a turkey and baking Christmas cookies. One where I spent the whole morning in the kitchen with her, licking batter-filled beaters and eating cookies fresh out of the oven. One where I watched the snow fall outside the cozy kitchen, measuring it as the day went on (16 in or 41cm by the time it stopped). One where we were snowed in and felt no pressing need to leave the snug warm house all day long.



I'd been nervous in the past few weeks, anticipating the cold of my first real winter since 2010. But I'd completely forgotten the delight that winter brings, the enjoyment of putting up Christmas lights and drinking hot cocoa and sledding and skiing and building snowmen and spending quality time inside with family.

It's so cliché, but for me it's absolutely true--winter is the most wonderful time of the year, and right now I'm so glad to be at home in this winter wonderland.


2 comments:

  1. How did the first time driving in it after so long go? That's what I dreaded most this weekend ... and I didn't have the years-long break you did.

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  2. It wasn't too bad, really. I guess my nervousness was good, because it made me go a bit slower than some other (more confident) drivers out there!

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