Its funny to think about how some of the simple things in life having changed meaning over the years. I remember as a kid snow was the greatest gift a winter day could bring. If I had written a dictionary in 3rd grade, SNOW would have looked something like this:
Snow(sn-OH): An event that causes school to be late or CANCELLED! It makes Ed the busdriver get stuck, or drive REALLY SLOW. It makes teachers let us play tackle football. Snow forts. Sledding. Snow angels. The best part of winter (besides Christmas).
At 16 years my definition of snow changed. It involved words like 'hassle', 'bad roads', and 'whiteouts', not to mention 35 minutes less sleep in order to get to school on time. Snow wasn't fun. And when I totalled my car it REALLY wasn't fun. The negative definition weaseled its way in and choked to joy out of snow.
Now that I live in a small ski town my perspective has once again changed. Snow means tourists, which ultimately means our livelihood. When people call or ask about "how the snow is", there is nothing better than saying, "We're buried in snow, and its wonderful. The powder is perfect for skiing and you're going to love it."
Slowly my perspective is coming full circle again--I am beginning to love snow and the 3rd grade definition I created years ago. I hope this time around it sticks. Perspectives are wonderful, and change is necessary AND inevitable. Even so, I've come to the conclusion that 3rd graders are smart. Some people mistake smart for naive, but I call it smart. THEY know how to live life as a child and with a child's heart...which makes snow a lot more fun.
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