Andrus

Say it with me: The snow is our friend

Ashley Andrus AND01049@BYUI.EDU Special Sections Editor

Old Saint Nick may have come and gone, but the cold weather doesn’t seem to be going anywhere.

As BYU-Idaho students, we are currently faced with two choices as a result of this chilly reality:  spend our days cuddled in our apartments miserably looking out the frosty window or find some adventure outdoors.

I’ve decided that the time has come to set my warm blanket and tasty hot chocolate aside and make a New Year’s resolution to embrace the cold once and for all.  (I still have two years ahead of me, I might as well get used to it).

I am determined to make some new discoveries about what there is to do outside when the sun goes down and resist the urge to complain about the dropping temperatures.

Putting this semester’s Winter Recreation Guide together has given me a few ideas on how to do this and has helped me to remember and appreciate what Idaho has to offer at this time of year. 

With the help of our university, we have been provided with more activities and opportunities than we can handle.  There are classes available, off-campus locations for winter sports, an on-campus ice skating rink and plenty of hills for sledding, not to mention a long list of BYU-I sponsored activities to keep your schedule full.

Basically, we have no reason to complain.  This has been hard for me to accept, but I am currently in the process of overcoming this by brainwashing myself.  I now listen to tapes of a soothing woman’s voice telling me over and over: “The snow is our friend.”  Trust me, there is help out there if you need it.

So, the next time you feel the wind blowing and the snowflakes falling, don’t waddle across the ice towards your apartment just so you can hibernate – grab some buddies and that knitted scarf your grandma made you for Christmas and find a new winter pastime.  Your hot chocolate will still be waiting for you when you get back.