5 Reasons Why Snow Days Are Good
by Jennifer Haynie @JenniferHaynie1
It finally happened. Snow. We all saw it on the radar, heard about it on the news. It headed toward our part of North Carolina. It wasn’t much. Matter of fact, any of you who live in snowy climates would probably laugh at us for closing everything down for a couple of inches of snow.
Schools closed early, then remained that way on Friday. Evening activities were cancelled. I had to reschedule some work-related training we’d planned for the next day.
Maybe we needed a snow day.
Think about it. Sometimes, we get into a rut. We can get so far into our daily routines that we fail to lift our heads, breathe, and truly live. An interruption in our daily lives may actually be a good thing.
How can something as disruptive as snow days be beneficial?
It can cause a brief change of scenery. What happens when it snows? Lawns get covered. So do roads. And roofs. The air takes on a magical quality as those puffy flakes fall, and the scenery changes, all without having to spend money, get into the car, and go somewhere.
It makes us slow down. By Thursday evening, I was very tired. It’d been a busy week, what of getting up extra early to travel to different training venues for work, along with my normal responsibilities. I hadn’t truly realized how exhausted I was until Thursday night. When I concluded I’d be working at home on Friday, something released inside of me, and I slept hard that night.
It enables focus. One of the side benefits I discovered from the interruption of a snow day is the way it allows me to focus. My tasks for Friday, so carefully planned, changed along with the weather. I worked at home on Friday, completed training I had to take, and addressed a myriad of other small tasks that had gotten pushed to the wayside thanks to other interruptions at work.
It changes routines. We all have routines, right? We have these “routes” we pass along during our daily lives that sometimes begin to feel confining. I certainly do. Go to work, finish the day, go to the gym, come home. Those ruts can form in my life. Last Thursday, the snow forced me out of that routine, even if it was only for a few hours. It felt refreshing, something badly needed.
It changes perspective. What usually happens with snow days? We spend time with family and friends. That certainly happened with Steve and me. Rather than do my usually Thursday night routine of going to Starbucks and heading off to the work on Friday, we spent time together in front of the fire with our pups and worked at home the next day. It rebuilt a connection that can sometimes stagnate despite our best efforts.
So yes, sometimes, snow days or similar circumstances seem to be more annoying interruptions than anything else. But if we take the time to appreciate it, we can see it as more than that. I sure did.
But that being said, the snow day we had on Friday was the kind I like. As I sit at the dining room table drafting this post, the snow in the neighbor’s yard is almost gone. Here today. Gone tomorrow. The best kind of Carolina snow possible.
Sometimes, we get into a rut. We can get so far into our daily routines that we fail to lift our heads, breathe, and truly live. An interruption into our daily lives may actually be beneficial. #authenticity #encouragement Share on XQuestion: What is your favorite part about a snow day?
The Conversation
Dislike snow but love the quality time it thrust upon us. 🙋♀️💜
I hear ya. Snow days are great for that time and break in the routine.