Friday, December 12, 2008

Snow Day!

"A 'snow day'...is a day in which school classes are canceled or delayed due to snow, heavy ice, or low temperatures." -Wikipedia

The call came at 5:45 a.m.: because of an overnight snowfall and the possibility of icy roads and power outages, school has been canceled today. Snow Day!



What is it about these unplanned but highly anticipated holidays that causes such joy? There is a delicious sense of freedom, endless possibilities, time enough to complete all sorts of tasks...or not.

If nothing is "accomplished" but refreshing the spirit, isn't that a fine and rare thing, complete in and of itself?



“I love snow, and all the forms
Of the radiant frost…” -Percy Bysshe Shelley

At least, on Snow Days I do.



You can see my Snow Day flickr set here

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I take "snow days" throughout the year, precisely for the restorative value they hold. "Refreshing the spirit" periodically is what allows me to give as much of myself to my job as I do.

diane said...

I totally agree with your philosophy. If my birthday falls on a weekday, I ALWAYS take it off, my gift to myself.

Wish school districts - and employers - would formally recognize "mental health days" so people wouldn't have to disguise them as sick days or some such evasion.

A Keeper's Jackpot said...

I wish hospitals got snow days! They do tend to be easy days, for us though... not so many patients going out in the weather. Nice pictures - I was thinking on my drive home this afternoon how I wish I could take mental pictures because the views I saw were much nicer than anything I could catch on camera

Anonymous said...

"If nothing is "accomplished" but refreshing the spirit, isn't that a fine and rare thing, complete in and of itself?"

Amen sister!

John

Unknown said...

Diane we have five days we are able to take without a medical certificate during the year- absolutely essential to keep sanity and take a breath in such a relentless job. Love your photos- we had a day of snow here this year but not at school. Do you have to do extra days later on when snow stops school?

Heather said...

It looks like you enjoyed your day! Thank you for sharing. You are right, snow days have a kind of magical quality that makes you feel as if all is right with the world.

diane said...

Jackie,

The photos you use on your blog are beautifully done, but the images in your memory are finer still and will last a lifetime.


John & Heather,

Snow Days are blank canvases, filled with possibilities.


Sue,

Our school calendar is constructed with 184 student days, 1 superintendent's day, and 5 possible Snow Days. If all the SDs haven't been used by early May, our Memorial Day holiday (end of May) is extended. One relatively snow-free year, we ended up with a 5-day Memorial weekend!