Embrace snow days

Snow days.

Ah, music to my ears.

There are two natural wonders that manage to leave me in a space of tranquility and awe. One is the ocean. The other is snow. I bet experiencing snow at the ocean would leave me speechless which is hard to do.

If you’re in North Carolina, then you’re probably like me at the moment: snowed in. Unless you’re east of I-40 then you’re probably at work. Sorry!

I absolutely love snow! It’s the only thing I enjoy about the cold weather. If it’s not snowing, then my preference is for the temperature to be 70 or above.

As I waited with great anticipation Saturday evening into Sunday morning for the snow, I did so with the confidence of knowing that I would be granted with at least two snow days for two reasons. I see no reason to be out and I live at the top of a hill. Our family house has been here since the 1950s and one thing we know for sure is that there’s no coming off the hill if it’s covered with snow, ice or a combination. There have been plenty of days and nights where I sat in front of a window and watched countless folks try to get up the hill in front of our house, to no avail.

Kudos for trying though.

When the snow finally began to fall around 2:45am Sunday morning a little squeal escaped my mouth. The excitement I had was unmatched at that moment. It took less than 20 minutes for our neighborhood to become completely blanketed by the white fluffy stuff.

When I arose late that morning, I was delighted to see huge flakes still falling from the sky and inches upon inches of snow lying quietly in our yard. My snow day was here!

I’m a very active person. I have my own company, wear many hats in the community, am always at an event around town and I enjoy visiting my neighbors, family and friends. Simply put, I’m often on the go.

Years ago, I learned that for me, snow days are a gift. They’re days that force me to be inside recharging, regrouping and rejuvenating. I have a few of these days throughout the fall and winter months due to me not enjoying cold weather, remember? However, something feels a little different about snow days.

Snow days feel cozy. Snow days feel fun. Snow days feel like a pass to just do nothing, if you chose to. These are things we should embrace yet I encounter so many people who whine and complain about them. I remain baffled.

Have we become so accustomed to having to always be doing something that the moment we are forced to remain still we nearly have a breakdown? That’s not ok.

Listen, we all need to time to rest whether it’s voluntary or involuntary. Your body needs it. Your mind needs it. Your sanity needs it. Instead of complaining about the current state of weather, use it to do some of the things you complain you never have time to do.

Read. Write. Pray. Take a bath. Watch some movies or cartoons. Color. Do a puzzle. Call a friend who is snowed in. Nap. Go outside for a walk. Better yet, go outside and play in the snow. Bake some cookies. Dance. Create a vision board. Sing loudly. There are so many options inside the house for you.

As an adult, I feel we should be grateful for the times we are given to hit the pause button. Life still goes on for many of us as we have families and other obligations that don’t stop just because the snow starts.  Despite this fact, we can use this time to our advantage.

Some of us will get a few more snow days while some of us will be headed back to work sometime this week. Regardless, embrace and enjoy the time you have because you’ll never get it back.

Kassaundra Shanette Lockhart is a freelance writer and enjoys snow cream and throwing snowballs at the kids she loves.