This past Tuesday, I woke up to two things: an email informing me classes had been cancelled due to inclement weather, and about 100 Facebook posts thanking God, mother nature and even provost Cheryl Brandsen for the amazing gift of a snow day.

The rest of the day, I followed social media as giddy college students went sledding, drank hot chocolate and caught up on homework (or sleep). Basically, we all treated this snow day as nothing short of a miracle.

Just the day before, many people had been grumbling about the cold air, the snow and the darkness that seems to come earlier and earlier each day. This weather had been considered a burden on Monday, but a blessing on Tuesday.

This is the beauty of the snow day. A mandatory day off allows us to switch from our usual winter survival mode of hard commutes, shivers and grumbling, to a mode of childlike appreciation for the beauty of winter. Our routine remarks regarding the dark and depressing Michigan weather instantly switch to praises for the state where any day you could wake up to blankets of white, fluffy snow and be told you are free from the responsibility of attending class for the entire day.

Snow days allow us an excuse to do the things we always dream of as we go through our day-to-day routines. They let us stay in bed an extra hour (or three), wear our pajamas until noon, or spend an hour talking with our roommates, all because we have a little extra time on our hands.

This “free day” off can also serve as a reminder of how good we have it here at Calvin. At a time of year when we are all worried about deadlines, papers and upcoming exams, last Tuesday’s snow day gave me the time to take a step back from it all. This helped me remember how thankful I am to be at this college.

While sometimes overwhelming, the stress of college is a privilege not many people will ever have the chance to bear. Our snow day gave us the chance to stop and take a step back from this stress and be thankful for what we have. I hope you found your day as rewarding and humbling as I did.