Shopper Blog: Snow days are for everyone

OPINION

Snow days are for everyone

Leslie Snow, Shopper News

I had a list of things that needed to be done. Grownup things like paying bills, responding to emails, and calling my accountant.

I was going to look through my filing cabinet for some tax documents. I wanted to check my homeowner’s insurance and make changes to my policy.

I had big plans to be responsible and productive. It was Monday after all, and I was in a Monday state of mind.

But then it started snowing and everything changed. Businesses closed and classes were canceled, not just for one day, but eventually, for the week. I felt buoyant and light. Some higher power, namely the superintendent of Knox County Schools, had given me a rare and beautiful gift.

He was granting me a snow day.

It’s hard to explain what a snow day means to a 60-year-old woman. I don’t have to bundle up and wait at the bus stop each morning. I don’t have to write a five-paragraph essay or memorize a list of vocabulary words for an upcoming quiz. I don’t even have to drive to an office to go to work.

All I needed to do to meet my Monday goals on that snowy afternoon was to stay off the roads and stay the course.

But the snow was so beautiful coming down that I had to stop to watch it fall. I studied the way it blanketed the trees and accumulated on my picnic table.

And while I was gazing, I saw hungry birds waiting at the feeder. I pushed aside thoughts of accountants and taxes to hang suet and put out fresh seed.

I leaned into everything a snow day has to offer, after that. I stayed in my pajamas. I wore slippers all day. I shunned my bra.

I played outside with Buttercup and laughed when she buried her head in the snow.

I took time to bake a chocolate cake. And I took time to eat it.

I built a fire in the fireplace and listened to the sounds of damp wood crackling in the flames.

I started crocheting a baby blanket out of some yarn I found in my closet.

I started a pot of soup out of some vegetables I found in my refrigerator.

I lost track of time and stopped counting my steps.

I took a mid-afternoon bath followed by a late-afternoon nap.

I persuaded my husband to binge-watch a new TV series. And when we were done, he opened a bottle of wine he’d been saving for a special occasion.

Just like that, “Dry January” turned into “Damp January” and eventually became just “January.”

Warmed by the fire and the wine, I called my three children to make sure they were safe and listened to stories of their great sledding adventures.

I called my mother and my mother-in-law, but I couldn’t get to either of them. The roads were too slick. They were stuck at home, like me, but they were doing well.

There was nothing to feel guilty about. There was nothing I could do but reassure the people I love that eventually the snow would melt, and we would get back to normal.

All we had to do was ride out the storm. All we had to do was to make the most of the days we were given.

Because a snow day isn’t just about missing school and getting extra time to finish an assignment. It’s a guilt-free pajama, wine, bath, slipper, chocolate-cake play-day given by the Great Superintendent of Knox. And it’s a gift given to all.

Leslie Snow may be reached at snow column@aol.com.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Shopper News brings you the latest happenings in your community