Dear Ricardo: The Best Way to Spend a Snow Day

Inspired by Vincent Van Gogh’s letters in Dear Theo, I write letters to my future self about everyday life and events.

January 28, 2019

Dear Ricardo,

It snowed eight inches last night. The drifts remind me of the tundra in nature documentaries. Aside from the inconvenience, it truly is a beautiful sight. Fields of untouched snow makes rural Wisconsin look like a fairytale. It relaxes me; it’s the deep breath I need that meditation would provide if I only practiced. I forget my troubles and focus on what matters. Dennis dropped me off at the end of Grandma’s unplowed driveway, and I trudged through the snow until I reached her doorstep. It felt like a real feat, you know?

Over the past year or so, I’ve made more effort to spend time with Grandma. Though she’s 88 years old, she’s as sharp as ever. Her memory is on point, and she still shares stories with great enthusiasm. She’s one of my role models. Her attitude and positive approach on life inspires me to live my life with purpose and fearlessness. She’s grown accustomed to our conversations. Today when I joined her in the kitchen, she already had a pot of coffee brewing and a pile of photos to explain to me.

I’m curious about her life and the way people lived generations ago. I simply just listen and stay out of the way—that’s the least I can do—I believe. Her stories of the Great Depression and World War II humble me. I wonder if my generational peers know of the hardships people once endured to survive. I wonder if we’ve become ungrateful. I wonder what our current problems are; they aren’t like problems of the past. Every generation faces its own challenges to overcome. My gut tells me to listen to history. The more I learn about the world’s past, the more I understand its future.

Grandma and my farm background are the inspiration for my next book. It’s a children’s picture book, which is quite a bit different from my last one. My ambition is to create works that explore my urban and rural backgrounds, and shine light on the positive qualities of each—which there are many. There’s so much misunderstanding between these two environments; neither interact with each other or put effort towards learning more of the opposite experience. I hope to connect them together—I hope you’ve figured that out! They’ve both been influential in my life and perspective of the world thus far.

Today was the best way to spend a snow day: drinking coffee with my Grandma and learning about the past. We began in the daylight but hours later, only darkness could be seen out the window. These moments mean a great deal to me, especially in a such a quick world I live in. It encourages me to act more human and reflect on the delicacy of our lives. I hope you’re still cherishing the important moments in life like conversations with Grandma over coffee!

How do you like spending your snow day? Do you enjoy listening to people describe the past?