Snow Day!

     We were gifted with a snow day Thursday.  I mean a real one… we had 14 inches before morning, school was at first delayed and then cancelled, and I couldn’t even drive half a block towards work without getting stuck (4 times I might add).  And 6 hours later, it’s still snowing… Needless to say, I called it good enough, had the receptionist reschedule my clients, and stayed home with the kids. 

     Now this could have been a frustrating experience.  I have a lot to do (clients, dissertation research, projects I am working on, etc) and having a day where I cannot accomplish what needs to be done definitely increases my anxiety level.  But today was different.  The giant, wet snowflakes were clinging to every surface, giving our community an almost whimsical appearance.  This is the winter wonderland my mind conjures when I listen to holiday music, and I am in it today.

     Another beautiful thing about snowy days (at least the reallllly snowy ones) is the way people come together.  When I was warming up the car to go to work, my neighbor was stuck.  So she, two other neighbors, and I were digging.  Then my son came out to lend a hand.  Then another motorist stopped and offered assistance.  She got going, and I went to leave.  My parking is off the back alley, and I got stuck before making it to the road.  Then I got stuck turning onto the road.  A neighbor I had never met came over with her shovel and my kids brought ours from the house.  We dug the car out, I turned onto the road, and got stuck 100 feet away at the stop sign.  And two guys drove up to help, my car got turned around, and stuck again.  We managed to dig a path to the nearest driveway where I could turn around and head for home.  And guess what, I got stuck trying to pull over to the side of the road in front of my house!   The neighbor across the way was trying to leave for work at this time, and she got stuck too, so we all grabbed our shovels and dug her out since we had become so proficient at it! 

     Driving is out of the question and we ran out of milk and bread (oh reality, I love you).   Luckily I have an occasionally adventurous son, and he decided it would be cool to walk a mile to Albertson’s in the snowstorm with his mother to acquire said items.  It is not too often that an autistic adolescent decides to indulge in a bit of an adventure, so this was a rare opportunity.  We got to chat about school and his friends, college aspirations, fears about our upcoming move, and what he plans to do next time he plays his favorite game.  He flitted from topic to topic, just letting himself say what came to mind.  We walked, plodded, stumbled, and laughed.  For the time it took to walk there, shop, and walk back I was listening to and being present with his world, with no distractions or competition for my attention.  

     As my son and I were walking to the store we saw others digging each other out.  We stopped and chatted, learned that a guy in the apartment building down the street is excited to celebrate his dog’s first birthday next month.  We learned that the lady at the corner is a graduate student as well, and is getting ready to start her thesis proposal.  And coming home, I learned that some neighbors complain when Terry or Bob get out their 4 wheelers and plow the parking lane on the street.   So Terry said he does not plow much these days, but he cleared the area in front of my house and in front of Mandy’s.  I cannot make it back to my alley parking space, but she and I both have plenty of room to share.  And now I get to bake a loaf of bread, because I do appreciate Terry and his snow plowing 4 wheeler.   It’s the small things people do that connect them, despite our busy and canalized every day worlds; sometimes it takes a snow day for us to share those every day moments with each other.