Snow was always an amazing time for us when we were growing up. The first snow flakes would start to fall & it was instant excitement. Our parents would get us all bundled up & we would load up to go drive around. It was always so awesome to see the town completely covered. As a friend of my sister’s once said, you can be standing anywhere in the snow & feel like you are in Narnia, snow makes the world feel magical.
We lived in an amazing neighborhood, tons of kids & they all came over to our house. We had movies on, my mom had homemade hot chocolate on the stove, homemade cookies in the oven, the dryer open for all our breaks so we could have warm clothes! Our dad would get the sled down & we would hit the hills, but we had to wear helmets….for real. Wish I was joking. Ah, the joys of being the kid of a personal injury lawyer. By then end of the day that year, several families were all in helmets while sledding.
One snow, our dad walked us all the way to the top of one hill & we literally rode it down that street which connected to another hill, which connected to ours & so on. It was the LONGEST sled ride ever & it was EPIC! My parents knew how to make the snow fun!
The snow is one of those times when you become friends with people you would have never talked to if there hadn’t been snow. It instantly seems to make people happier. One time we were all out having a snow ball fight & these people came up, saw we were playing & they joined in with us. Never saw them again after that, but for those 30 minutes, we were all best friends.
One time in college, there was a huge hill that was perfect for sledding behind our dorm! People were in their kayaks, inner tubes, card board boxes, cafeteria trays, tables (yes! tables!) We piled about 12 of us onto one of the folding tables, some flew off, most of us made it to the bottom, & we belly laughed all the way down until our sides were sore we had been laughing so hard! It was a wild ride! I spent hours out there. It was another one of those moments where people you never talked to before were instantly friends, as though you had known them your entire life.
This week, Lboy & I went over to the local park & watched some of the sledders. How often do you see 50 year old men sliding down a massive hill on an inner tube & laughing like they’re 5? The snow is one of those fantastical moments that allows adults to be like kids.
Now that I’m a parent, I feel a lot of responsiblity to give Lboy & O the same memories I have as a kid in the snow. We’ve been out to a local park, we’ve driven all over town (thank you for 4 wheel drive!), we have gone to the playground, we have been sledding ourselves. I hope my kids remember the snow for what it is, a time to play, a time to just laugh until you literally don’t have anymore laughter in you. I hope that I will continue to share that with them.
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