ItâÄôs that time of year again. Snow has fallen, ski masks have been brought out, hands have been frozen and the marathon of winter has begun.  

My friends know that winter is by far my least favorite season. Despite having been raised in the Midwest, itâÄôs always been hard for me to appreciate the magic of the season when IâÄôm preoccupied with my shivering body and increasing pallor.  

I almost thought it wasnâÄôt coming this year.  I had been reveling in the warmth and sun of our Indian summer, taking for granted the 50-degree weather, but this blanket of snow on the ground  is an unmistakable sign that winter is making its dramatic entrance at the University of Minnesota.   

As I watch the blizzard outside my apartment window, I dread the inevitability of the freezing temperatures throughout February, and, if weâÄôre being honest, probably into March.  In spite of my anti-winter attitude, I canâÄôt help but be impressed and proud of my fellow classmates who I see still biking around campus with ice and snow on the ground.  

The kind of bravery and gumption shown by the boys and girls in class who still wear shorts and flip-flops even though itâÄôs 15 degrees outside is what makes winter on campus uniquely Minnesotan âÄî uniquely U of M.  

ThereâÄôs a sense of unity in our communal commiseration âÄî our shared discomfort is an annoyance that we all put up with on our wintry and sometimes painful treks to class. But we suck it up and embrace the cold, not necessarily because we want to but because thatâÄôs how University students win the war against winter.  And we all come out blooming like flowers in April âÄî OK, thatâÄôs a lie; it probably wonâÄôt be before mid-May until all the snow melts.