My First Snow

On January 10, 2025, it snowed in the Triangle (Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area) for the first time since 2022. The news forecasted several inches of snow and the weather news sources warned about icy roads and chilly winds. Many people prepared to stay in for the night, avoiding the snow at all costs. As for me? I’d been waiting for this day my whole life. 

Except for when I was a one-year-old, I had never seen snow in my life. Growing up in Florida meant that snow was only seen in Christmas movies and classic children’s picture books. I always wondered what it would look like, feel like, and if it really was as fluffy as it was on the TV. Two weeks ago I found out for myself.

It was a typical Friday night and I was on my way out the door to grab dinner and drinks with some friends. The minute I stepped outside my apartment door, I froze. For a second I just thought it was raining heavily. But no- it was snowing! There was snow everywhere from the sky to the ground. I patiently continued onward through the snow with my friends and celebrated this newfound discovery with a pizza and a glass of prosecco. 

Walking back home through the snow!

The minute I arrived back home I sprinted upstairs to grab Kendall, my roommate. She grabbed her coat and we dashed downstairs to the parking lot. What started as us admiring the snow turned into us playing in the snow. From building a snowman to having a snowball fight to drawing pictures in the snow stuck to my car, we spent over half an hour playing in our apartment parking lot. Something that probably looked so absurd to our neighbors fulfilled a childhood dream I didn’t know I had. What may have looked like a 23-year-old woman throwing snowballs was, in reality, the spirit of a 6-year-old girl. Playing in the snow and allowing myself to be excited about something so simple allowed me to tap into my inner child. 

Seeing snow was at the top of my bucket list when I moved to North Carolina. As of this moment in time I have officially seen snow twice. Both times have been borderline magical. Playing in the snow has made me realize it's possible to never fully grow up. That it's possible to continue playing like a child when discovering something new. To be excited about something as simple as snow.

Kendall and I with our melted snowman the following morning.

As we get older, we are tasked with more responsibilities and obligations. Life is complex and at times it seems impossible to slow down and enjoy the little things. What people oftentimes forget is that there is so much joy to be found through discovery and curiosity. Taking time to see the magic in “ordinary” (or debatably inconvenient) things, such as snow, sparks childlike wonder at all ages. Childlike wonder is important because it gives people the opportunity to counteract some of the challenges of adulthood and freshen old perspectives. Acting on feelings of curiosity and finding joy through discovery is what makes living life so extraordinary.