Is it gone, yet?

While many of us are pleading for the arrival of spring, it’s not here, yet. Depending on where you live, you might have a few more weeks left of winter. In fact, you might have piles of white outside your door right now.

When we were kids, we loved snow. We’d trek outside, throw snowballs, make snowmen, and go sledding. Snow meant snow days. It meant playing in crunchy white magic and coming in for hot cocoa afterwards. Now that we’re all grown up, however, snow doesn’t seem so great. Snow means driving through sludge and ice, being late to work, and navigating unsafe conditions. It means shovelling at the end of a long day. While it sometimes seems like snow is the curse of adulthood, here are three reasons to feel more positive about snow.

Healthier Soil
Most of us aren’t farmers, so we don’t tend to think how the weather will affect our food. We all rely on what’s grown, however, so next time a blanket of white covers the ground, we can be grateful that it’s taking care of the soil. Snow helps insulate the ground, keeping it moist and keeping roots warm all winter long.

Healthier You
Our first impulse when it comes to snow is to stay away. We don’t make snowmen anymore, so our interactions with snow come in the form of a shovel, or a quick dash to the car. Instead of getting our exercise on a treadmill however, we should be getting outside for our exercise, even in the winter. Fresh air and sunlight are still important, even in the chill. Sun gives you your best dose of vitamin D, and fresh air helps put your brain in higher gear. To get the best health winter can offer, consider getting outside for some outdoor fun.

Outdoor Fun
You might think your days of playing in the snow are over, but think again. While you might not zoom down a sledding hill in a tiny plastic sled, you can still get out in the snow and have fun. Head to Northstar CA and go skiing, or drive to the nearest lake and go ice fishing. Depending on where you live, you might have cold weather but no snow during part of the winter. Even if you have to travel to get your winter fun, it’s worth it. The more you can play in winter, the less you’ll grumble over flurries. Skiing, skating, snowshoeing, and ice fishing are all great “adult” winter activities, and if you want to do “kid” activities (with or without your own offspring) there’s no shame in that, either. Snow is meant to be enjoyed, so get out there and do whatever you love.

Hopefully, by focusing on the good things snow brings, we can recapture a little of that winter magic. Now that we’re adults, snow will always make our lives more complicated. But it doesn’t have to be a source of frustration. Snow can provide magic even now, if we remember to enjoy it while it’s here.