Yesterday, I spent the day at GT’s World Headquarters in Pennsylvania. As I left my apartment in Brooklyn around 6 a.m. to catch a train at Penn Station, about 3 inches of snow covered the sidewalk — and the snow was still coming down. It was pretty, quiet and peaceful. I have always preferred summer to winter, but there are aspects about the chilly season that I do enjoy, such as the peace and quiet of an early morning snowfall. I also enjoy winter sports, but it wasn’t always that way. As a kid growing up with the “winter blues,” my parents tried to encourage me to discover the fun in winter. Every year they would enroll my sister and I in skiing lessons at Mt. Tom (sadly, no longer a ski resort) in Vermont. This was something I dreaded every winter. As a young tyke, there was something about carrying my equipment and walking in ski boots, while bundled up in a snowsuit, that really frustrated me. Before even reaching the resort, I would smell the hamburgers from the parking lot and ask my mom why I couldn’t just sit in the warm lodge all day and eat hamburgers while my parents skied. Her response was something along the lines of, “Because that’s not good for you and you have to go to your ski lesson.” That never really made much sense to me. As the years went by, however, I graduated from the bunny hill and began to really enjoy skiing. I liked the feeling of the fresh snow beneath my skis. I liked breathing in the cool air while making my way downhill. I liked the warm sun that heated my face. It was great to find a sport that finally made me feel really good in the winter. I don’t ski as much anymore, but I do find ways to overcome the winter blues in the city. A warm museum, restaurant or movie theater can always cheer me up. Once in a while, I revisit the slopes and spend a day skiing with friends or family. And I always make sure to end the day with a big, fat hamburger in the lodge! -Courtney Centeno, account executive