An Important Lesson I Learned During the Snow Days
An Important Lesson I Learned During the Snow Days
Written by MJ Reporter Willow LaMunyon
Willow's Insights get a Medicare Jet-Setter Groovy Review
I don't like snow as much as I used to. Since snow days in Oklahoma don't happen often, they have become a kind of celebration. When I was a little girl, the police closed off a hilly street that was the perfect place for sledding, and on those snow days, that was exactly what it was used for, sledding to our heart's content. That street was three blocks from the school that was closed due to the weather. Nobody questioned why the school officials thought it was too cold to walk to school but simply fine for outdoor sledding. Those snow days made winter worth the cold.
When my children were growing up and snow days closed the schools for the kids and work for my husband and me, we used them for family play. We had snowball fights, freezing feet, hot chocolate, homemade cookies, and hopes that the next day would be another snow day. Somehow being stranded at home put everyone in a good mood, and snow days share a prominent place in our treasure trove of memories. Including a wild snowball fight in the house.
After the kids grew up and left home, my husband turned snow days into a challenge to go somewhere besides work. On those special days, he got his pickup out, and no matter how the snow drifted, we managed to use the unexpected day off to eat out or go to the movies. One time we even went roller skating with only a few other people there.
As we got older and his heart was bothering him, he declared that he would clear our very long driveway, and he wouldn't listen to me when I told him not even to try it. When that didn't work, I ran outside and started shoveling as fast as I could until I saw him driving our mule (the vehicle, not the animal.) We went round and round until the driveway was clear, laughing and sliding the entire time. He reminded me that he said he was going to clear the driveway, not shovel it.
This year was the first snow day in a very long time. Because of COVID, there were no friendly neighborhood visits as would have happened another time. The movie theater has been closed so long it looks haunted. My favorite hangout, the library, was also closed.
I remembered the good smells of chili or stew slowly cooking all day and making everyone hungry, but even though it smells the same, it isn't the same. I was getting depressed because of a snow day. Not over a snow day! No! No! No! I wrapped up in warm clothes and took my dog outside but at minus degrees, that lasted about a minute; still, that was all it took to help me change my attitude. I watched old movies and ate popcorn. I dyed my hair lavender, polished my nails, and by day's end, I had discovered a new way to enjoy the snow. We can't stop time from passing, but we can find new ways to make every day worth living.