Yesterday, we had a snow day from school. With snow, sleet, and freezing rain coming down throughout the morning and early afternoon, school was cancelled.
Snow days are a rare treat. While it’s always nice to have a scheduled day off, those unexpected days off are a refreshing break from routine. Whenever I have a scheduled day off, I almost always plan something – make my doctor’s appointments, plan a little trip, get set up to do a project, make plans to have lunch and go out shopping with friends or with my mom, or reserve the day for catching up on grading for the university courses I’m teaching. But when those snow days come up unexpectedly, there are no plans that have been made, and it’s not safe to go out and travel the roads anyway.
On a snow day, I can enjoy leisure reading, a bubble bath, or time on Facebook with no guilt whatsoever. I can enjoy an extra long meditation session or bake something tasty and sweet. I can work ahead on things I know I have coming up. I can play some new songs on the piano – just for fun, not in preparation for any upcoming performance. There are no expectations; there’s no nagging voice in the back of my head, listing all the things I “should” be doing. I’ve been given permission to be totally in the moment and to ask myself what I feel like doing. That really feels great.
Do you have memories of spending “snow days” in fun ways as a child…or as an adult? How often do you allow yourself to have those days in which you have no agenda…no expectations for what should be accomplished by the day’s end? I enjoyed yesterday’s snow day very much, and I look forward to the next snow day. I now want to play with the idea of allowing myself to have that same experience more often…even when there is no inclement weather in the forecast.
Snow days as a child hold such special memories for me. My siblings and I would bundle up in our snowsuits and head outside. For some reason I REALLY loved shoveling the snow and cleaning off the driveway and walkway for my parents. Then we would make snow forts, have snowball fights , make snow angels and then roll down the lawn. We would be completely covered in the white stuff and our fingers would be purple by the time we went inside. . We’d be soaking wet , our cheeks would be crimson and and we would all strip down to our undies right there in the front foyer so as not to get my moms floors all wet throughout out the house. Then we’d have hot soup or hot chocolate. It was great!
That sounds truly delightful, Patty! Makes me smile, thinking of the joys of winter. Thanks for sharing!!
Snow days are a completely foreign treat to me. Having grown up in Miami, we had no such thing and hurricanes usually occured during summer break so no day off from those.
Thanks for your comment, Mauricio. I am glad you have now had the opportunity to experience the joy of snow days – yes, definitely a treat.
Pingback: A Year of Building - Blog Post by Susan M. Featro, Voice Lifted