The Snow That Needs to Come

The snow used to come every winter. At least that’s what my grandpa, an old, wise man who always told the best stories, would say.

One cold morning six years ago, I stood outside waiting for my mom to walk me to school. The air smelled fresh and icy. My boots crunched on a thin layer of snow that barely covered the grass. It wasn’t enough for sledding. Not enough for snow forts. Just enough to remind me of what winter used to be.

A few days later, it snowed again. Big flakes drifted down from the sky. They landed on jackets, cars and tree branches. By the time I got home from school, everything was covered in white. The neighbourhood looked different. I walked through the park and watched kids leave footprints in the snow. A dog ran across a field, kicking up snow powder behind it. The air was cold enough to make my whole face sting. But the next morning, the snow wasn’t as deep. By the afternoon, patches of grass were showing through. It wasn’t surprising. The snow comes, but it never seems to stay for very long. Before you know it, the sidewalks are wet again and the snow turns into slush. Everyone is busy with their own stuff, school, homework, sports, whatever comes next.

Reading Greta Thunberg’s speech made me think about things differently. She talked about climate change like it was happening right now instead of sometime in the coming future. Playing in my old backyard, running around making snow angels with my sister, having the time of my life. During those special moments, I completely forgot climate change was a thing, I forgot that it was happening actively and would begin to affect our lives.

When I was younger, I thought climate change was one of those problems that wouldn’t affect me for a long time. Now I’m not as sure. Things still seem normal most days – the seasons still change. People still go outside and live their lives, but sometimes I wonder if we’re getting used to changes that shouldn’t become normalized. I don’t know what winter will look like ten years from now. I just hope there’s still enough snow for a cancelled day of school once in a while.

Awesome job on your creative piece! I love this story 🙂