Winter Wonderland

Winter.

That single word can deliver a shiver (literally and figuratively). In Wisconsin, this season is synonymous with desolation and isolation. The sun appears to go missing and the gray that takes over seeps into the minds and actions of the people. Many find winter to be a time for avoidance, a time for separation. A time to hunker down indoors and avoid the bitter wind chills and frigid frostiness that takes over autumn and stubbornly lingers into the early spring

And while it may be hard to break down and dismantle the myth and misnomer that the previous paragraph details, it is hard to agree with it when you experience the first flakes of the season through the eyes of a child.

The pure exuberance that emanates from a child getting out in the snow warms the heart better than any scarf or woolen hat could. Watching them catch flakes with their tongue. Observing them building snowballs. Maybe even participating in a friendly snowball battle.

Winter is not to be avoided. It is to be celebrated.

The next time the flakes fly, take off your adult hat for a minute and “winter like a kid.” Make a snow fort. Grab a sled. Get outside and seize the opportunities winter offers.

Winter like a kid.