A Winter Memory by Liz Russo

A little girl woke up to the phone ringing downstairs. She jumped out of bed with loads of excitement because she knew what it meant- a snow day. Her hands worked to open the shades and immediately her eyes were filled with the most amazing sight. Snow covered everything outside- the ground, the roof, the trees, the road. It was the definition of a winter wonderland. She changed out of her backwards pajamas and took the spoon out from under her pillow. These superstitions for a snow day must be true! she thought. Her little legs raced down stairs only to find no one else awake. No big deal, she would find something to do before they wake up. She pulled out a piece of paper to draw her name, Lydia, in cursive- a new thing she just learned how to do in school. She heard footsteps upstairs. Her sister, Julia, came down still rubbing the sleep out of her eyes and yawning. She would make excuses to not have to go outside with Lydia- homework, sleep, chores. Lydia knew she was just too old to have anymore fun. She knew she would be by herself this snow day. With a pout, Lydia made her way to the coat closet. It took a while to regain all of her gear from last year. Finding the other glove was a task, as well as finding a good hat. Once everything was settled- it was time to step into the wonderland. Snow still came down as Lydia began to make footprints all over the backyard. She did everything one can do in the snow- built a snowman, made a snow angel, let snowflakes fall on her tongue. She even had a snowball fight, but it didn't work quite well because she was all by herself. Cold and finally bored, Lydia made her way back inside the cozy house. She set the gloves and hat near the fire place to dry and made hot chocolate. Her mom came downstairs almost the same way as Julia did- still exhausted. She suggested watching a Christmas movie. How wonderful it was to snuggle up on the couch, drinking hot chocolate and enjoy a lazy snow day. 

The teenager woke to the sound of the phone ringing. With a groan, she turned back to sleep. Now the test she studied for and was finally ready for would be pushed back another day. Eventually, she pulled herself out of bed and opened her computer. Her eyes filled with disappointment when she saw four new assignments for the day posted on Google Classroom. As the hours of homework passed by, she felt more stressed than ever. Next thing she new she was eating dinner, and her precious, "relaxed" snow day had come to an end. What Lydia would do to be a kid again was unimaginable. Growing up was a mistake. If she could just turn the clocks back around and stay a kid forever. But growing up is a part of life and schoolwork is a part of learning and stress is a part of living. Staying a child forever would be nice- but everyone has to eventually grow up.