I, a southern California girl experienced my first time in falling snow on Thursday, and to say it was cool would be an understatement; it was magical.
After a week of insurmountable stress and homesickness, the sight of snowflakes and fluffy white snow on the ground was just what just what I needed. I patiently waited for the projected weather forecast to become a reality and around 6 PM the university became a winter wonderland. Yes, the PNW (especially Tacoma) is not usually a place where you will find feet of snow, but it was just enough to distract everyone from studying for finals.
That evening I sat in the warmth of my bed watching Dr. Phil (or something along those lines) avoiding the cold, because anything below 65 degrees is freezing to me. Suddenly I heard a thud on my window. I briskly jumped down from my waist-height lofted bed and saw that a friend had thrown a snowball at my widow and was laughing and running around in the fresh snow. I was beyond eager to get outside and play around in the falling snow. I felt like a kid again.
After spending the majority of my day preparing for finals, and wallowing in my own misery (it's not that serious but still) I got out and walked around in this winter wonderland, Touching all the snow I could with my bare hands, building miniature snow men, violently throwing snowballs at my friends, sticking my tongue out to catch snowflakes, and writing cute messages on cars. We made our way to our school's cafe, and grabbed cups of hot chocolate to sip on. As the warm beverage made its way down my throat, I felt pure happiness. I suddenly felt that everything was at ease. The 24 hour quiet hours that were put in place for finals were suddenly thrown out the window. Hearing the laughter of fellow college students, and observing people taking loops around the school on skis and sleds in a time of high stress was extremely settling. I decided that this was what the purest form of happiness looks like.
I will never forget this experience. For some it may seem like I'm being overly analytical about this occasion, but for someone who has never experienced falling snow until the age of 18, it was special. It reminded me that it is important to enjoy the little things in life especially in times of stress and distress.
GOOD LUCK ON FINALS!
