Snow Days

Remember when snow days were fun? When the mere mention of the word made you dance with joy and anticipation for a day off from school?

I remember my dad going out to make sure our sledding path was clear of big branches before a predicted snow storm.
I remember the anxious feeling of watching the school closing list scroll across the bottom of the TV screen.
I remember fun-filled snow days - sledding, building snow men, and making snow angels - and then going inside for hot chocolate by the fire.

And now?

Now snow is an inconvenience, a hassle, something I'd rather not deal with (hence why I moved farther south!). This evening, I trudged through the wet, slippery, still-falling snow. Fighting to stay upright, to keep my umbrella up, to not step in large, dirty puddles of half-melted snow. I arrived at my corporate apartment feeling cranky, wet, and miserable. And it makes me sad.

Sad that something that once brought me so much joy now brings misery. Sad to have lost that childhood sense of wonder and fun that came along with snow days.

And I wonder....what else have I lost along the way?