We were just gifted three snow days by the school closure gods. As if that wasn’t wonderful enough, they fell on the first three days of school after the winter vacation, a Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. That’s right, basically delaying the end of our break for a whole five more days!
By some people’s standards, our family’s winter vacation might have seemed pretty boring. We didn’t go anywhere. Nobody visited us. The weather was cold and wintery. A few of us went down with illness and injuries. Basically, we couldn’t really do much. And looking back, it was great!
It was lazy and slow. It was intimate. Just the five of us for most of the time. We watched movies, we played games, we hung out. We slept. I had no idea how collectively sleep-deprived we were. We let the house go. Who knows how many times my children actually changed their clothes or brushed their teeth. What I do know is that I got to watch three brothers who genuinely loved being together, who laughed, wrestled, and snuggled.
I wanted to package us up and whisk us away to some alternate existence where it was just us. Or put us in a snow globe where we would be protected from all of the expectations of the world around us. It was truly a break and for the first time I can remember, nobody really wanted to go back to the whole school and work routine.
And our wishes came true in the form of a snow day (or three). What is it that is so awesome about a snow day? If the weather is bad enough, even parents are forced to cancel anything that requires leaving the house. The result is a free day off, one when you are not sick and one you didn’t have a chance to fill with plans. It’s the gift of time, one of the most delicious and rare treats of all.
It’s like unexpected money when you don’t need it or having a dear friend show up as a surprise guest at your door. Giddily tossing all plans out the window, the most important question becomes, “What do we want to do now?!”
The truth is that so many of us never build in that kind of day into our normal lives. We fill our days off from “work” with chores and activities, and we just go-go-go. We say yes to all the things our society, our kids, our friends, and our own egos tell us we should be doing.
Can you imagine what it would feel like to just let it all go for a day? On purpose? An actual bonafide day of rest? One where nobody is allowed to make a plan. Nobody has responsibilities. A wide open blank slate of, “What do we want to do now?”
I know at this time of year many of us feel compelled to set goals, make resolutions, and put plans in place. But I have to wonder if it might not also be good for our souls to declare a few more snow days.
Who is with me?
If a snow day sounds delicious but seems like there is no way it can be a reality for you, let me help you find a way to make it happen. You might need one more than anyone!