If you have been following me or any of the other Hope bloggers on Twitter, you are probably aware of what happened on Thursday. If this is sounding new, let me bring you up to speed: it snowed.
I repeat, it SNOWED. In OCTOBER.
As a Kansas-born, Michigan-bred girl, I am no stranger to winter weather conditions. The word “snow” don’t make me panic or cower, and I even enjoy it when appropriate. Key word: appropriate. Late October is in no way, shape, or form, appropriate weather for snow.
Like I just said, I was raised in Michigan, so this is not my first time seeing snow in October. I even ran a cross country in snow in October once in high school. The difference between then and now is that now I’m in college.
Snow in college poses several difficulties:
- Field placements/student teaching. For my education field placement this semester, I am placed at a local high school. Luckily, the high school is not too far away from campus, but snowy conditions means that I have to wake up earlier to allow myself more driving time, and I have to take off whatever mountain of show accumulated on my the day before. Not so much fun to do at 6:45 AM.
- Walking. Unlike high school, where the closest you get to snow during the school day is the window, you have to walk everywhere in college. Hope’s small campus means that my walks aren’t very far, but I still spend a significant about of time outside. If I had to estimate, I would say that I spend at least one hour per day walking around campus. With gusting winds, heavy snow fall, and cold temperatures, my enjoyable fall walks become detestable in winter. Also, a snow day in college is as rare as a 70-degree day in November; it almost never happens (in case you were wondering, the last time Hope closed for a snow day was in 2011). So no matter how much it snows or how cold it gets, I still have to go outside.
- Mental Preparation. Though I enjoy seeing the beauty of all four seasons, summer is by far the best time of the year for me. After it ends, I go through a mourning and denial period, a.k.a fall, where I still try to wear my summer clothes for as long as I can. The few months of fall allow me to reminisce over summer while preparing for the upcoming winter. The unexpectedly short fall this year has not given me enough time to get myself into the right mindset for snow, which has consequently led me to my current state of shock, confusion, anger, and sadness.
So you see, I’m not complaining over nothing. I have legitimate reasons to be upset over the snow. However, not all hope it lost. As I’m typing these final words, the sun is starting to peak out from behind the clouds and the snow patches are melting into snow puddles.
God really does answer prayers.
-Rachael
P.S.-Feel the same way? Let me know in a comment or on Twitter!
