It goes without saying that this has been one of the most trying winters Michigan has seen in a long, long while. Even for winter enthusiasts, it’s been a test of patience, and winds cold and sharp enough to just about peel back the skin on your face is truly a difficult experience.
I’m positive I’m not alone in saying that I was not only overjoyed but genuinely grateful when the sun began showing her face a few days ago. I knew her golden rays would begin to thaw the mounds of snow and ice and dreamed of the day when we’d begin to see even just patches of plushy green grass. I expected some puddles and slush, but I definitely did not anticipate flash floods and rivers and lakes. Crossing intersections became me standing in the middle of the street in limbo, trying to determine which part of the street I could cross without water being almost up to my knees. Investing in a small boat to paddle my way around campus was becoming a very real possibility. I spent most of my day pouting and grumpy, and took for granted the warm sunshine I’d missed so much. Yet as the day went on, I started to pay a little closer attention to the world around me and realized there is something really wonderful that happens when people are experiencing the same misery.
I saw strangers laughing with one another about how ridiculously deep the water was and watched my peers help each other find the best possible ways to cross the street. That night and the next day after it all turned into sheets of ice, I watched my peers reach out their hands to grab a falling stranger and help each other as we all skated along the sidewalks. I saw more kindness and laughter and camaraderie among strangers over the past few days than I think I have ever seen. It was so warming to see a smile or empathetic glance, and it made the cold and wet and ice all a little bit more bearable. It made me wish that it didn’t take collective suffering to get people to simply acknowledge one another. I then decided that I would make a concerted effort to offer kindness to my peers and the strangers I encounter daily. How happier might we be if we all did? How happier might we be if we appreciated the kindness of a stranger and the sunshine?
Just before I got home that day I inevitably stepped into a puddle deeper than my rain boots and walked the rest of the way home in a soggy sock and soaking shoe. Instead of allowing myself to feel angry about my foot sloshing around in my boot, I thought about how this was the first time I’d seen the sun set in a pretty long while, and smiled.
(photo credit: Julia Gaynor LSA freshman)