Dashing Through the Snow

Sun glistened off the white snow forcing Jenn to put on her sunglasses. Hard-packed snow crunched under her boots as she trudged up to the top of the hill, pulling a sled behind her. “I can’t believe I let you talk me into this.”

“What are you talking about? You are the one who said you missed sledding.” Dan stomped along behind her, dragging his own sled up the hill effortlessly.

“Yes, but that didn’t mean I wanted to actually go sledding again. We aren’t little kids anymore, you know.” She stopped for a minute to catch her breath. The hill was a lot steeper than it looked.

Dan walked past her and grabbed the rope to her sled, dragging both sleds now as he continued up the hill. “Come on. It’ll be fun.” He turned and flashed her a smile before returning his focus to the task at hand. The steepness of the hill didn't seem to be slowing him down any.

Jenn followed along, casting glances back down the hill as she went. Her heart was pounding in her chest the closer she got to the top. What on earth was she thinking. This was a huge hill, much too big for her to go sledding down. Why did she ever think this was fun as a child. It was absolutely terrifying.

“Hurry up, Jenn!” Dan called from the top of the hill.

She put one foot in front of the other as she slogged through the snow. Winter was her favorite season. Waking up to fresh white snow was the best and prettiest thing in the world. Now she was starting to question her sanity. How could she have thought anything like this could be beautiful?

Seconds later, she reached the top of the hill and turned around to look down. It was a lot bigger than she thought. “I’m not going down that.” She took a step back, her heart hammered in her chest.

A chuckle escaped Dan’s lips. “Why not? It’ll be fun.”

“So you keep saying, but I’m not convinced. Only a crazy person would go down that hill gliding over snow.

“Come on, give it a try. You told me such wonderful stories from when you were a child. I want you to experience that again.” He laid his sled down on the packed snow. A sledding path someone else had made would take him to the bottom. “You coming?”

She shook her head no and Dan took off on the sled, whooping and hollering the whole way. Jenn couldn’t help but smile. He really was a big kid at heart.

Dan came huffing and puffing back up the hill, the biggest smile lighting his face. “Your turn.” He propped his sled up against the wooden fence that bordered the property.

“I’ve decided I’d rather just watch you.” She plopped down on the cold snow, immediately regretted the decision as it seeped through her clothing and into her very bones.

“Where is your sense of adventure and fun?” He crossed his arms over his chest, staring at her.

“I left it at home along with all the heat.” She frowned, glancing once again down the hill. It could be fun, but dangerous. What if the sled tipped over? What if it didn’t stop, and she went all the way to the road, and a car hit her?

She shook her head to clear the negativity. Always thinking the worse possible thing, that is her weakness. It was holding her back right now from having fun. Fear was a powerful deterrent.

Dan sat down in the snow beside her. “You walked all the way up to the top of this hill just to sit here in the snow and get wet and cold?” He raised an eyebrow.

“No. I just… I just think it’s a little too dangerous now that I’m an adult. I can’t afford to break an arm or leg.” She bit her lower lip.

Dan burst out laughing. “I know you started worrying more as you got older, but I didn’t realize you were such a scardy cat.”

She knew he was baiting her, trying to get a rise out of her. It was working. Her brows drew together as she scrambled to her feet, dusting off the snow as best she could from her pants. She grabbed the sled lying beside her and walked to the sledding path. It looked like such a long way to the bottom. Her hands got clammy as she set the sled down in place.

Taking a deep breath, she lay down on the sled and pushed forward with her hands. Moments later, she was sailing down the hill, the wind in her face as she giggled with delight. All her childhood memories came flooding back, bringing her a new wave of joy when the sled finally came to a stop.

Her heart raced in her chest as she climbed off the sled and started back up the big hill. The climb didn’t even bother her this time, and it seemed like it only took seconds to reach the top. She smiled at Dan then gave him a big hug.

“What was that for?”

“For bringing me here and forcing me to go sledding.”

He laughed with pure joy as he took the sled from her and got it ready for her to go again. “Why don’t we go down together.”

“Sounds like fun!” She climbed on the back of the sled behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. With one powerful push of his arms, they were sliding down the hill laughing and whooping with joy.

All afternoon they kept themselves busy sledding down the big hill and trudging back up again. It was the most fun Jenn had in years. She remembered now why as a little girl, the snow and winter held so much appeal.

When the sun started to dip down below the trees, they packed up their sleds and headed home. Jenn was exhausted and happy. This is a day she would never forget.