When It’s Snowing And Invites You Back Into Childhood
Sometimes when it’s snowing, it feel harsh or hurried. But every so often, the sky gives us a gentler version, flakes that drift rather than fall, inviting us to pause, watch, and remember.
This time, you can see each separate flake. They are floating to the ground rather than falling. They are large and shapely as they land on the little table outside the sliding door. They make a pattern on the deck like balls of cotton strewn around. These are the flakes that draw you outside so you can stick your tongue out and catch one. The descent is gentle and slow, as though they are dancing toward the ground.
This is the exciting snow. You know it is going to go on for a long time. You have plenty of time to pull on your snowsuit and climb into your boots. You are excited about catching them on your tongue. As they pile up, you will make wet snowballs to fling at your sister. This is the snow where you can make snow angels.
Nowadays, you can fill spray bottles with water and food coloring, then make your own snow art. Imagine the front yard as your canvas. You could make a huge picture. You could also design a more active game by stomping out paths in the snow, then making everyone stay on the path as you play a game of tag. Laughter and capture will soon follow.
If you have some leftover bubbles from the summer, you could get them out and see if they freeze in midair. You could draw a big target in the snow and find sticks to use as darts.
If it snows all day, you should have enough to try building an igloo. That would be the ultimate fort.
Being a kid has its advantages.
If you are an adult, you could get the snow blower out of the garage and discover that the spark plug has rusted over. Remember, they told you not to leave it in there all summer. Now you have to find the wrench and the hammer. By the time you get it fixed, the snow will have melted. So give it up and make hot chocolate for the kids.
Of course, you still have to shovel the driveway now that your power tool is out of commission. The sidewalks will need it, too. And no, the kids will not be interested in helping. Perhaps some teenagers will come along with shovels. That would be the best plan of all. They get rewarded for their labor, and you can go back inside.
Being an adult has its responsibilities.
Mittens will go on the radiators or registers dotting the edges of the floor. They must be dried out fairly soon, as the snow continues to come down and the children will be ready for round two after they are fed.
Snow has a way of reminding us who we were and who we are—playful, burdened, joyful, tired, hopeful. It invites us to hold both the magic and the work of life at the same time.
For more reflections on seasons, memory, and emotional rhythms, visit Psychology Today’s essays on emotional well‑being and Greater Good’s research on joy, nostalgia, and resilience.
If winter stirs both delight and heaviness for you, therapy can offer grounding and clarity. Learn more about individual therapy in Maryland and DC or explore therapeutic approaches that support emotional steadiness through the seasons.
By Dr. Gloria K Vanderhorst
