As I dug my car out of a snow-ridden parking lot at 7 a.m. on Saturday, I was cursing Winter Storm Harper pretty hard.

I hate winter. I make that pretty clear to just about everyone. And as I drove back to Kent from Canton on snowy roads late Sunday night, received a parking ticket Monday morning and got stuck pulling my car into my parking spot, my winter hatred intensified.

I’d much rather be on a beach, wading into the ocean, rather than wading through feet of snow as it falls into my boots.

The snow began to fall again when I walked home from work on Monday. And I started to appreciate the beauty of it. The way it clung to the trees and glistened on the ground. I challenged myself to change my perspective on the weekend’s events.

If I could find beauty in the snow, maybe I could find something good in the long weekend. Like the friend who braved the roads to take me to my barista job and dug me out of a Canton parking lot. Like the lazy, snowy Sunday I got to enjoy. And the neighbor lady who helped me move my car into my parking space, served with some motherly winter storm advice.

I can’t forget the friends who offered to drive me home and a listening ear. Maybe, just maybe, I can even be grateful for the Kent police who were doing their job.

Life can kind of suck, but sometimes it’s all about perspective. I could choose to be upset and angry or I could choose gratitude. I am incredibly thankful for each selfless person who provided help and encouragement this weekend, even to a perfect stranger.

I still don’t like winter. I doubt I ever will. But I’m also learning to laugh at the little things, like sinking knee-deep into snow, and finding the positive even in hard or frustrating times.

I guess I have Harper to thank for that.

Laina Yost is a senior reporter. Contact her a [email protected].