I’ve come to realize in the past few years of living in Colorado, that mountains can be my oceans. It is not necessarily the water that calms me but rather the vastness, the natural-occuring beauty, the fascination of how diverse our world can be, and the invitation it gives me to participate.

I live in Colorado because it is a way of life. Colorado is clean air, it is sustainability, it is enthusiasm. Colorado is friendliness, adventure, curiosity, health, food, beer, whiskey, and appreciation.

Without family nearby, I have two choices: move back to the East Coast, or supplement my first home with a new home. Being that I would have to give up the previously described way of life if I moved back East, I’ve chosen the second.

Enter: SNOW.

Snow has a calming effect on us. Think about the first snow of the season. Whether you love or hate winter, you can’t help but fixate yourself on the window to watch flakes fall against a calm evening sky. When December comes around, we all dream of a White Christmas because it symbolizes tradition and comfort. When the holidays have passed, we stay active by sledding, skiing, snowmobiling, snowshoeing. Snow brings together my friends as family and my family as friends. Back East, we spend snowy days running around the park with dogs. Out West, I use snow as a form of bribery to convince family to visit me and friends to spend time with me.

The other week, my parents and I reunited in Park City, Utah. Due to my elaborate use of snow as a form of bribery again, my dad even participated in the ski day — and I saw him catch an inch of air at one point! Snow excites us, reunites us. It reminds us how natural our world is, how ever-changing we are just like the seasons, and how creative we can be to find ways to spend time together in all conditions.