Snow Day

I woke up this morning to a winter wonderland outside. These frigid temperatures and the snow-covered ground have me reminiscing about my childhood and the fun we would have any time it snowed. I remember being so excited when there was even a chance of snow, especially on a weekday. If we even had a slight chance to get a snow day that would make little me's whole week much more exciting! Sometimes I wish I could return to a time when everything was much more simple. Where the biggest worries were so minuscule and unimportant. A time where I didn't have to worry about if my choice would screw up the whole rest of my life. Looking at the bigger picture of life, it does not matter who had a crush on who back in middle school. Looking back now, it does not even matter who the smartest kid in class was or if you always had your homework in on time. Yes, those things are important and if you are still in school try to do your work on time and do your best in your classes but remember the world won't end if you slip up once or twice.

The biggest thing I miss from being a kid is the carefree attitude and how exciting everything was. Now it seems so hard to be excited about the small things in life and find it so easy to just let life pass me by. It is so easy to waste an entire day on the internet when the beauty of the outdoors is waiting for you. I am guilty of this even as I write this post. The outside snow calls to me but I refuse to listen because it is cold and wet and would make me uncomfortable. A long time ago that would not have bothered me but for some reason, today I will be miserable in these conditions. What has changed? The snow is the same snow, the cold is still cold, and the wet is still wet. The only factor that has changed is me.

Growing up we had a big hill on my parents' property and my sisters and I would have all our friends over when it snowed and have a big sledding party. Then after we were exhausted and shivering we would come inside and drink hot cocoa. It is fun to sit here and think about the past and all the good times we used to have. Now it seems like all those friends have gone in different directions. That's another crazy part about childhood is all the friends we seem to have and our friend groups just seem to grow smaller the older we get. This is a topic for another post though.

As I continue to grow older I want to remind myself to be more child-like. I do not mean this like being immature but being excited by the little things in life. I do not want to take these experiences life gives us and take them for granted. I want to learn to enjoy life like a child does and have fun again. I am not sure how I will accomplish this but maybe I can make a goal for this year to discover how I can be more in the moment than ever before. This will be a great challenge I am sure however it will make life be more like an adventure every day. Today let's look outside and whether you have snow or not collectively we can look back on our childhoods and find ways to take ourselves back. Take ourselves back to a time of contentment and adventure. Not letting the minute things in life stress us out and prevent us from having enjoyment.