Welcome to Western Carolina University, home of beautiful mountains, wonderful opportunities, and snow. Snow really messes everything up. When it snows, it frequently ices as well making driving a non-reality, particularly for those of us who aren’t from the mountains and aren’t used to seeing anything more than a dusting of snow.

So with cars parked for an indefinite amount of time, students who didn’t prepare for the storm casually drop in on the POD store to purchase some easy mac, because easy mac is life, and find that in addition to there being no easy mac, there really isn’t much of anything at all. Ravenous students who considered the consequences of delaying a trip to the POD store have ransacked it and taken the easy mac hostage. In addition to a lack of preparedness leading to a lack of adequate snack food, classes have all been canceled at varying times since Wednesday, which made homework delay-able, which made Sunday miserable. Homework catch-up days are not the most thrilling of my life. Also, when you’re a clumsy individual, snow and ice just enhance your likelihood of busting it in front of a bunch of people. My brother also threw my cat into the snow and sent me pictures of the poor creature with a betrayed look in her eyes at her master who couldn't protect her breaking my heart into a thousand tiny little pieces.

So why, despite all of these hardships, do I still love snow? I think snow is magical. I love getting out of classes as much as the next person, even if it does mean I have a lot of catching up I have to do later. I love the idea of being snowed in for a few days, unable to drive my car into Sylva where I would undoubtedly spend more money than I should. I love having to improvise as far as food and snacks are involved, figuring out creative combinations like I’m on Master Chef, except I wouldn’t make it past the first round! I love getting pictures of my cat, in various states of distress from my family, because it lets me know that she is still alive and mostly happy! I love the danger of walking on the slick sidewalks because, as long as I don’t get hurt, busting it is pretty funny. If you don’t take yourself too seriously, you can laugh at little failures and just acknowledge that they’re part of who you are.

I love having lazy mornings of pajamas and Game Of Thrones marathons paired with exciting afternoons of snowball fights and sledding. Snow brings me back to my childhood. I stand by the window in anticipation and jump up and down at the sight of snow. My roommate can inform you how literal that is. I beg people to go outside with me so that we can go play in the snow. I stomp my feet and pout when my friends say they’re too tired or cold to continue. I get to be something much simpler than what I am at any other time.

I get to be young and I get to have fun without all of the responsibilities of the adult world. I get to stow away the idea of being a college student who is supposed to be working towards my desired major, career, and life. I get to stow away the idea that I have to grow up and make all of my decisions before it’s “too late.” Everything else in life can wait until my car is able to safely handle the roads and my inner child has been safely stowed away for the next snow day.