Winter finally hits the UK...
I have very fond memories of the snow from my childhood. Mum and Dad taking me down the park to go sledging. Building snowmen. Snowball fights with my school friends. Cracking the ice on the frozen ponds. Gazing in wonderment at the tiny, perfectly formed snowflakes landing on me, each one absolutely unique and perfect.
There used to be an almost uncontrollable level of excitement that would flood through me on cold, Winter days when I'd wake up, look out the window and find the whole world had magically turned white. Then absolute hysteria when the news came through that school was closed for the day and I had the day off to play with my friends....
As a child you never had to worry about train delays, flat car batteries, central heating problems, frozen water pipes or icy roads. Your parents sorted all that boring stuff out. You just got up, had some breakfast (only because your mum forced you to), grabbed your jacket, gloves and boots and jumped straight into the largest snowdrift you could find with a huge, inane grin on your face.
It's become apparent to me recently, mainly due to having a Mexican girlfriend who has only seen snow a couple of times in her life, how much I've lost my appreciation of the beautiful snowy landscape. I also work with lots of guys from India and the first time they experience the snow their Facebook page will be inundated with photos of them making snowmen or having snowball fights, in every photo you will see very happy people with huge grins on their faces. How come they can love it so much and all I dwell on are the negatives?
Having thought about it, I believe my receding excitement about the snow isn't anything to do with age, just long-term overexposure. Like so many things in life, the more frequently you experience something, the less exciting and more mundane it becomes. The wonder decreases and the annoying disruption to your daily routine becomes the thing you focus on.
Strangely enough, I absolutely love winter sports and like nothing more than being in the snowy mountains at this time of year. I guess the main difference being on a skiing holiday is that I'm not at work, plus the ski resorts are designed to cope with the snow, with all facilities working flawlessly even in ten foot snowdrifts! (this is not really that surprising of course, as it's their primary business).
I've noticed in recent years many friends with children showing great interest again in things like Christmas and Snow, triggered by the pure excitement they see in their kids. It reminds them of the wonderment they used to have and rekindles their enthusiasm, allowing them to forget the concerns and worries they have built up and see the world through a child's eyes again.
Like northern lights, sunsets, eclipses or thunderstorms, snow is a natural weather phenomenon of extreme beauty. Yes, true, our country is not particularly well adapted to deal with it, mainly because it only happens for a couple of weeks a year. We don't invest in the same incredible facilities other countries have and I don't really blame us for that. There are so many other more important things to spend our national budget on for the rest of the year. Yes, it would be nice if we were a bit more prepared and the transport networks didn't grind to a halt when we have a few centimetres of snow, but it doesn't last long and things generally get back to normal after a few days. Yes, of course I like to have a bitch about it (Well, I am British!), but it's never really that bad.
So next time I look out the window and see the white blanket descending, I am vowing to try not to think of the negatives. I can get up a bit earlier to get to work on time. Many people (myself included) can work from home these days if the weather is bad or transport is disrupted. Technology has increasingly facilitated us overcoming the difficulties of extreme weather.
Try and remember the joy you used to feel as a child when you saw this wonderful natural weather system descend and how lucky we are to experience something so beautiful for short periods of the year. Think of all those people sweltering in extremely hot countries that are extremely jealous of us because of it. Whatever the weather, there are always associated problems. We have a pretty good deal in the UK, a reasonably balanced weather system, highs and lows, proper seasonal variations and beautiful lush, green landscapes because of it. Ours is a beautiful country and a lot of that is down to the great variety of weather conditions we get here, snow included.
So, my advice to you all (and to myself!)....
Embrace the Winter. Wrap up warm. Make snowmen. Have fun. Even as an adult, it's still a hell of a lot of fun to slide down a snowy hill on a sled. Just search for your inner child, open yourself up to the idea again and enjoy it. You will have a huge grin on your face before you know it.
Like Bonfire Night or New Year, the snow comes and goes so quickly that we should enjoy it while it lasts.
Summer will be here before we know it and then we'll all be moaning that it's too hot! :)
I have very fond memories of the snow from my childhood. Mum and Dad taking me down the park to go sledging. Building snowmen. Snowball fights with my school friends. Cracking the ice on the frozen ponds. Gazing in wonderment at the tiny, perfectly formed snowflakes landing on me, each one absolutely unique and perfect.
There used to be an almost uncontrollable level of excitement that would flood through me on cold, Winter days when I'd wake up, look out the window and find the whole world had magically turned white. Then absolute hysteria when the news came through that school was closed for the day and I had the day off to play with my friends....
As a child you never had to worry about train delays, flat car batteries, central heating problems, frozen water pipes or icy roads. Your parents sorted all that boring stuff out. You just got up, had some breakfast (only because your mum forced you to), grabbed your jacket, gloves and boots and jumped straight into the largest snowdrift you could find with a huge, inane grin on your face.
It's become apparent to me recently, mainly due to having a Mexican girlfriend who has only seen snow a couple of times in her life, how much I've lost my appreciation of the beautiful snowy landscape. I also work with lots of guys from India and the first time they experience the snow their Facebook page will be inundated with photos of them making snowmen or having snowball fights, in every photo you will see very happy people with huge grins on their faces. How come they can love it so much and all I dwell on are the negatives?
Having thought about it, I believe my receding excitement about the snow isn't anything to do with age, just long-term overexposure. Like so many things in life, the more frequently you experience something, the less exciting and more mundane it becomes. The wonder decreases and the annoying disruption to your daily routine becomes the thing you focus on.
Strangely enough, I absolutely love winter sports and like nothing more than being in the snowy mountains at this time of year. I guess the main difference being on a skiing holiday is that I'm not at work, plus the ski resorts are designed to cope with the snow, with all facilities working flawlessly even in ten foot snowdrifts! (this is not really that surprising of course, as it's their primary business).
I've noticed in recent years many friends with children showing great interest again in things like Christmas and Snow, triggered by the pure excitement they see in their kids. It reminds them of the wonderment they used to have and rekindles their enthusiasm, allowing them to forget the concerns and worries they have built up and see the world through a child's eyes again.
Like northern lights, sunsets, eclipses or thunderstorms, snow is a natural weather phenomenon of extreme beauty. Yes, true, our country is not particularly well adapted to deal with it, mainly because it only happens for a couple of weeks a year. We don't invest in the same incredible facilities other countries have and I don't really blame us for that. There are so many other more important things to spend our national budget on for the rest of the year. Yes, it would be nice if we were a bit more prepared and the transport networks didn't grind to a halt when we have a few centimetres of snow, but it doesn't last long and things generally get back to normal after a few days. Yes, of course I like to have a bitch about it (Well, I am British!), but it's never really that bad.
So next time I look out the window and see the white blanket descending, I am vowing to try not to think of the negatives. I can get up a bit earlier to get to work on time. Many people (myself included) can work from home these days if the weather is bad or transport is disrupted. Technology has increasingly facilitated us overcoming the difficulties of extreme weather.
Try and remember the joy you used to feel as a child when you saw this wonderful natural weather system descend and how lucky we are to experience something so beautiful for short periods of the year. Think of all those people sweltering in extremely hot countries that are extremely jealous of us because of it. Whatever the weather, there are always associated problems. We have a pretty good deal in the UK, a reasonably balanced weather system, highs and lows, proper seasonal variations and beautiful lush, green landscapes because of it. Ours is a beautiful country and a lot of that is down to the great variety of weather conditions we get here, snow included.
So, my advice to you all (and to myself!)....
Embrace the Winter. Wrap up warm. Make snowmen. Have fun. Even as an adult, it's still a hell of a lot of fun to slide down a snowy hill on a sled. Just search for your inner child, open yourself up to the idea again and enjoy it. You will have a huge grin on your face before you know it.
Like Bonfire Night or New Year, the snow comes and goes so quickly that we should enjoy it while it lasts.
Summer will be here before we know it and then we'll all be moaning that it's too hot! :)
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