We were out early, walking the dogs, when we saw the first flakes drift by. By the time we were done with the walk the snow was beginning to fall heavily and we were talking about heading to the store right way so we wouldn't have to go out later. It was going to be a snow day.
When I was a boy we prayed for days like this one. There would be no school. For a day, at least, assignments and obligations were put on hold. We were free to play and romp in the snow that blanketed the area. It is a bit different today, but snow days are still wondrous gifts.
I'm out of town today, staying with a friend. I don't want to romp outside in the snow. There is still some work awaiting me and if there is romping to be done, I prefer that it be indoor romping.
Today my wireless phone will bring me calls from clients and friends and loved ones who won't even know that I'm in Greensboro and not at home in Wilmington, unless I tell them. There will be calls to make and return.
There will be email, too. Since I only have a dialup connection here all of my Net work will be slower. I'll probably save some of it for a faster connection and a faster day. There will be a newsletter to write. There is always a newsletter for me to write on Monday.
The Net will carry this letter to your inbox, near or far. Since you cannot see out the window here, I will tell you that there is a blanket of snow over everything. Few cars move on the road. No one is out in the street.
Since you cannot hear what I hear, I will tell you that there is not much sound. There is the scrapping of shovels, but that sound, like what few others there are is muffled as if the world is saying, "Shusssssh, quiet. Take it easy."
So today, I will give in to the lure of the quiet and the peace and take a snow day. It seems that there are not enough of these anymore.
With our cell phones and Net connections it is easy to let work and obligation wriggle their way into parts of our lives that used to be ours alone. This has happened so gradually and completely that we almost believe it is the way things should be. Until there is a snow day.
Snow days help us understand that the richest lives are not those lived at full speed all the time, fueled by caffeine and adrenaline and excitement. There should be times like that, but there should also be times of quiet and respite and rest.
I think there should be a law giving everyone a couple of snow days a year. We should not be able to plan them. They should come as a surprise, a welcome gift from the world.
We should all be able to stay indoors and slow our pace and cover ourselves with the quiet and the love of people we care for. We should be able to take time for things we don't seem to be able to find time for.
Wherever you are, whatever the weather outside, I urge you to take a snow day, even if Nature doesn't give you one. Just for a day, put the assignments and obligations on hold.
If we all do that, maybe the world will slow down just a bit and become much more like the place we want it to be.
