We sometimes recall the great childhood memories of snow days -- stepping outside, sometimes looking like a marshmallow in all the layers of clothes our parents made us wear, and thinking, “This is great!" Now, as college students, we might have many different thoughts, such as, “How long can I be outside today?" or, "This is a great excuse not to do homework,” or hopefully not, “I need alcohol to be in this kind of cold."
As kids, we just saw the snow as another variation on ways to use our free time; it was in a category with things such as playing video games, watching tv, and annoying our siblings to death. We basically saw the snow as just a toy that was white and all over the place. The evolution of our love of snow from when we were kids to now can be compared to the quick transformation of fresh white snow to brown mushy snow. Our poor parents watched us build disproportionate snowmen while shoveling the roads. Today, we might understand why our parents seemed to not completely enjoy the snow as much as we did.
Just because some classes are cancelled in college does not mean everyone’s classes are cancelled, nor does it mean we can disregard errands such as getting food from the store before a storm (which usually makes humans look like frantic squirrels before they go into hibernation).
Having snow days off as a kid is nice, because you get to go sledding for a few hours with no worries about making up a ton of homework. Now the tables have slightly turned.
Here are a few of the main differences between childhood snow days and college snow days.
No more fireplaces.
In college, we have to worry about the heating bill and hope the insulation in our house isn’t too bad. If only college came with a working fireplace. If there is anyone out there in college that is somehow lucky and fortunate enough to have a working fireplace, I hope you are using it like there is no tomorrow.
Hot chocolate or bread and wine?
Before college, we didn’t have to think twice about food availability when snow came, or ever worry about it at all. Now, it seems people are freaking out about having enough wine and beer as much as they are freaking out about food essentials like bread. Being on a budget in college (and living in smaller spaces) means our pantries and fridges now aren’t even comparable to the ones in our home.
Snowdulthood Activities
Being snowed in as a kid was like a typical Saturday, except with more to do outside. We enjoyed the typical day of sledding and building snowmen and snow forts for hours on end.
Now, most of us enjoy the snow by staying inside and watching Netflix, or maybe even staying warm with our significant other. Other adult snow activities include going to parties, trying to catch up on homework, or using the snow as a good excuse to sleep a lot. Some people even sleep as if they expect to wake up to the snow being melted.
Walking in the snow is not the same as playing in it.
We, unfortunately, are going to have to go out of our way more often when walking in the snow, whether it's to class, to get food, or to go to a friend's house. For one thing, as adults, we have this thing called responsibilities, which means we need to get out of the house more. This means that we have to walk in the snow.
So, with all this being said, with more snow comes more responsibility. We are the ones that have to shovel our cars out, get our own food in preparation for the snow, and figure out ways around the snow. At least some of the work that comes with snow also has beauty and occasional fun.
All in all, the snow is still beautiful to experience, despite its slight difficulties. It's enjoyable in different ways now. May the snow be ever in your favor.
