I haven't always hated winter. When I was younger, I loved winter. It was my favorite time of year. Until a few days ago, I honestly couldn't remember why I liked winter so much when I was little. Then, after a heavy snowfall and all the kids were in school and most people had gone to work, I stepped outside and I remembered. The wave of why I loved winter as a child came over me. It was the silence. I stepped outside into a world blanketed in snow and there was not a single sound. No kids yelling. No cars going by. No dogs barking. No birds chirping. It was silent. Every emotion that I used to have when I was a child in the winter came back to me. I loved laying outside in the snow for hours (or at least it seemed like hours to a child) and just listen to the quiet.
I'm definitely not saying that I once again like winter. My older body can't handle being out in the cold for too long and I can't stand driving in the snow. My shoulder can't take shoveling much more. BUT....I can once again appreciate not only the way the snow looks on the trees, but the soundless wonder that it is.