I trudge down the snow-covered sidewalk on University Avenue, the cold wind cutting like a knife across my face. Icicles are forming on the rims of my glasses. The lenses have fogged up to the point where I can barely see in front of me. My teeth are chattering and my toes have gone almost completely numb.

Despite the objective misery, I can’t help but smile. Winter has come to the Land of 10,000 Lakes and I’ve never felt so alive.

With average temperatures ranging from 15 to 25 degrees from December through February in Minneapolis, winter makes life at the University of Minnesota special. However, many Gophers disdain it. They complain about walking to class in subzero temperatures and bemoan the interminable gray skies. 

Living in the Midwest has its downsides, but it allows us to experience Mother Nature in all of her seasons. We have torrential spring rains, stifling summer heat, crisp autumn days and freezing-cold winters. 

Each season teaches and shapes us in unique ways, and each deserves respect. Winter is no exception.

Sara Brost, a first-year student at the University, said she hates winter.

“I can never seem to get warm enough when I’m outside,” Brost said. “You have to put on so much stuff just to step outside. And I also hate snow. I don’t like shoveling. I don’t like driving in it. It sucks for me, personally.”

Being in college has changed how I experience winter. 

While I only faced a 10-minute walk to and from my suburban Chicago high school, I now travel to multiple places, often miles apart, every day. Without a car, weathering the cold isn’t a choice, it’s a reality. Why not embrace it?

After a poor night’s sleep, there’s nothing like a -5-degree windchill — in other words, a slap in the face — to wake me up. Fighting through snowstorms and ferocious winds motivates me to do my homework. If I can survive that misery, I can write my Spanish essay.

Sure, there’s nothing quite like those “perfect” days, when the air is finally cool enough to keep my t-shirt free of sweat but warm enough to not need another layer.

“My ideal temp is 70 degrees and sunny,” Brost said.

These rare moments of climatic comfort are only meaningful because of the weather we’ve faced before them. If we lived in a constant state of what we deem the perfect temperature, we’d fail to appreciate the glory of a balmy autumn afternoon.

Winter is about more than just weather. If you’re willing to look past the cloudy skies, it’s a time when our landscape is full of understated beauty.

When the leaves are gone from the trees, sunlight shines in places where the canopy once blocked it. Walking along the sun-drenched trails of East River Flats, I think of winter not as a time of darkness and despair, but as a season of light. While drab, bare trees become architectural wonders, showcasing how a tangled assortment of branches comes together to form a cohesive whole. 

And there’s no forgetting winter’s greatest gift — snow. 

I grew up in Chicago, a place where snowy winters were common, but not guaranteed. The only white Christmas I reliably had was the song by Bing Crosby. Six hours north in Minneapolis, however, snow often persists through March — not including last year’s unusually mild winter. 

Calla Massari, another first-year student, said she enjoys winter sports like sledding, skiing and ice fishing — common Minnesotan activities. 

In my time at the University, I’ve had snowball fights at Northrop Mall, sledded down the hill behind Coffman Union and held on to the window of a moving car while sliding on a snow-covered road alongside it (an unsafe but incredibly fun experience). 

Not only does the snow give us access to unique seasonal sports and activities, it beautifies an otherwise dull landscape. 

“I think it can be really pretty when there’s snow on the bare tree branches, it can be kind of sparkly in the morning,” Massari said.

I remember waking up to the first snow of the semester in my freshman-year dorm and gazing out at the Mississippi River Valley. The tip of every tree branch was coated in powdery snow, sparkling like millions of tiny jewels in the sun. 

Winter builds character, strengthens our culture and is humbling in its beauty. Why complain? 

Climate change may be leading to milder and shorter winters, but that doesn’t mean Minneapolis is turning tropical any time soon. 

Pull up your socks, tie up your boots and zip up your coat. 

It’s Minnesota, after all. Winter is our way of life.