Snow Day

The excitement was building throughout the week. On Monday we had our first glimpse, an after work commute with a couple of inches. Just enough to slow traffic to a crawl. Groundhog Day had passed and the Midwest wanted to make the point, there's a reason that little furry creature predicted six more weeks of winter. Frayed commuters skated their ways home. By Wednesday, the energy was palpable. Newscasters showered us of warnings. Here it comes. Be prepared, 8 to 14 inches to be spread over a couple of days. Believe it or not, in an extreme moment of emergency awareness, we as a community were paying attention. By Thursday, seven year-old girls were asking their superintendent, "Do you think we'll have school tomorrow?" They were ready. We were all ready.

On Friday morning at 5:30am I looked outside. None of the streets were plowed. The front yard covered in a white Down blanket. Tiny flurries blowing from side to side. A mere 7 inches, enough to snow blow. Not nearly as bad as we thought. As a rookie superintendent, the thought crosses my mind, should we have called it? We could have made it in this. 6:30am rolls around, and still no car tracks in the subdivision. The occasional barking is heard as neighbor dogs prance in the snow. By about 8am the boys wander down the stairs. Exhilarated to go snow blow and play outside. By mid-afternoon, Facebook and Instagram fill with pictures and videos. Families making snow forts. Children creating snow angels. Sledding pictures and shoveling pictures. Families curling up with cocoa.

Perhaps a snow day is what we all needed. An unscheduled moment where we couldn't run errands or race to the next activity. A chance to just breathe together and enjoy each other's company. A chance to play and let go of our daily routine. This snow day, while not the blizzard predicted, was a moment for families to just relax and enjoy each other. A day well worth it in my world.