I may be jumping the gun a bit here, but the moment Minnesota weather reaches above 30 degrees, I can’t help but want to spend as much of my day outside as possible.

Those who aren’t native to this frigid state may raise their eyebrows with skepticism, but after knowing what cold really feels like, there is something so refreshing about walking to class with the sun brightly shining, reflecting off snow that isn’t quite ready to disappear.

In my eyes, this is the perfect time of year.

Even though we felt these same temperatures back in October, it feels so much nicer after dealing with those blizzard filled winter days.

The sun is present without the insufferable summer heat and snow still remains without the the sub-zero temperatures to accompany it.

Constantly dealing with school, work, and personal life leaves people little time to appreciate the outdoors, particularly when it’s still considered to be winter.

Something that should become an everyday habit is making time to enjoy this change in weather.

This can be as simple as leaving a bit earlier for class so you don’t have to hurry so much.

Take an alternate route for something a bit more scenic and notice the small signs of life that are starting to appear amidst all the white.

It may not be quite warm enough to study outside but there are other ways to get your daily dose of nature appreciation.

Fresh air does a person wonders, especially when they’re under stress.

Spending time out in the snow and chilly weather has been shown to be incredibly beneficial to people’s health.

The body produces depression-like symptoms as a result to decreased exposure to sunlight and low levels of vitamin D, which occur most often during the chilly months when wrapping oneself in a blanket inside seems like a much more appealing thing to do.

While sunbathing is certainly not an option, the amount of light you can get even oncold, cloudy days is enough to counteract the most extreme symptoms.

Observing beautiful snowy scenery and focusing on the vastness of your natural surroundings can improve your mood in general.

Enjoying the outdoors can also revive your ability to direct your attention, making it easier to ignore your roommate’s annoying habits or the weekly parties thrown by a room down the hall.

Homework is often the last thing a college student wants to do, making it far too easy to get distracted.

Spending time outdoors in a pre-Minnesota spring is admittedly difficult for those who hail from warmer places, and I understand that staying inside just seems much more appealing.

But in many ways, that’s even more of a reason to take longer walks on campus.

There are so many more things to notice compared to lounging on the grass in the summer or looking outside your window during the chilly months.

There’s a fresh, cool scent to the air during this time of year, which can be pleasant to one who gives themselves time to notice it.

The dirtying snow certainly isn’t pretty by any means, but there’s something enjoyable about stepping on the bits of ice that form at the edge of the sidewalk – the ones that are just barely raised off of the ground until they satisfyingly crunch under your feet.

Not too long ago, I was completely in awe of the snow that lined nearly every tree, following a snowstorm the night before.

It really did look like a winter wonderland and I didn’t have to freeze my face off to appreciate it.

There’s a lot to notice when outdoors, it’s not just snow trees and dirt.

This can apply to any time of the year too – aside from terrible storms of course.

Unless that’s your kind of thing.

You don’t have to be an artist or a writer to interest yourself in such detail.

Take time to appreciate the little things in nature instead of constantly feeding society’s vision of “bigger is better.”

We surround ourselves with so much that is artificial that we forget where we originated from as humans.

Progress is important, but so is taking time to remember our roots.

Set down your phones, turn off your laptops, and bring yourself back into the world of the living.

It really does change your view of the world, even just a little.