As this semester comes to a close, the weather is getting colder and, with cold weather, multiple problems occur that aren’t issues in the summer. As a commuter, winter weather is an annoyance when trying to get to class.

The first thing that comes to mind in the winter season is snow. Driving in snow is never a good time, especially during a heavy storm. When I drive in the snow, my main approach is to take it easy. One time, though, taking it easy didn’t help.

Driving home from classes, I attempted to stop at a stop sign but began to slide. My mind quickly tried to stop the car but there was no hope. I was slowly sliding into the road.

In a panic, I checked both sides for oncoming cars and, thankfully, the coast was clear. As I got into the right lane, I realized how bad that could’ve turned out. Had there been a car coming, and if there wasn’t enough time to react, there could’ve been a crash. I don’t like driving in the snow.

Another issue when driving in the cold is fogged windows. Last week, I was driving to a video shoot and my windows were fogging up. It was cold in my car, but I couldn’t put the heat on because I needed to keep the defroster on. This is a minor inconvenience when driving and not something I have to deal with in the summer.

Don’t get me wrong. I enjoy seeing snow. Christmas is my favorite holiday and winter is my favorite season, but dealing with snow is not fun. Another issue with snow is forgetting how many things there are to worry about.

First is putting away outdoor furniture. Bringing out furniture in the summer is fine since it’s hot but putting it away in the cold makes it feel like a lifetime of work. Having to clean up the mess of the summer makes me wonder if summer is worth all the effort. I didn’t swim in my pool once this summer.

As I was helping my dad and brother put away the furniture last week, I saw our snowblower and realized something – I’m going to have to clear snow. Everybody knows how bad clearing snow is, but when no one else is home and I have to do it, there’s a whole different element to the new season.

In theory, I could pay someone to do it for me, but that feels like a rare thing to come by anymore. Just like putting away furniture, clearing snow is another thing that feels like a lifetime of work. The cold slows everything down.

When thinking about winter, a major positive on the minds of students is the chance of a snow day. Those days are great. When hearing of the possibility of snow, the next day leaves most hoping get a much-needed break.

Some professors move to online classes, while others cancel class. One thing that stays the same for these days is I don’t have to leave the house.

The negative side is when there is snow, but not enough to justify canceling classes. This scenario has me drive in the snow, on top of having class afterwards. If the snow isn’t enough to get classes cancelled, the drive is usually not much of an issue, but I also thought that when sliding into the middle of the road.

The timing of my high school graduation is also something I feel I got lucky with, since online classes are now becoming more common. Throughout high school and middle school, I became accustomed to having no school work when there was a snow day. Now, however, high schools are rolling out online work during these days. Thankfully, I was able to experience many traditional snow days before they changed.

I don’t know why I enjoy winter so much. Obviously, Christmas plays a part in it, but possible snow days also give me something to look forward to. I also enjoy winter because it gives me an excuse to do nothing since it’s freezing outside.

Even though being a commuter in the winter may have its problems, I enjoy the season enough that I can tolerate the issues it brings – even if one of those issues is sliding into the road.