Snow Day

Life Balance: a feat we try to achieve while searching to be the best that we can we, while simultaneously raising our children to do the same. This is the equilibrium in our inner life force whereby our heartbeat matches the divine force that exists all around us. When this life balance peaks, our sense of peace, joy, love and wisdom act as one with our very soul.

"Mom, I want a snow day. Let's move to Virginia."--cupcake, upon hearing that Mrs. Virginia had off of school because it snowed 1 inch in Richmond.

Remember snow days? Oh, the glory of it. Waking up, wandering down to the kitchen where Mom was listening to WBEN AM 930 Radio with Jefferson Kay or Clint Buehleman, hearing the list of closings. In alphabetical order. Dying to hear your school's name. Come on OP! Enough about Nardin Academy and Nichols, tells us about Orchard Park. Sometimes you'd listen to the list for an hour, waiting to hear that our school was closed.

Finally, we'd hear it! Yes, it was closed! Yippee. And out would come the winter gear, and off to BFF's I'd go. We'd play and bake and draw and play in the snow for hours. Have grill cheese and soup for lunch, do it all over again. The best kind of vacation day, unplanned and totally free.No worries. Nothing to get done. No place we had to go. Nothing to do but use our imagination.

When my kids came along, snow days once again became special treats. We'd listen and then stay in our jammies all day. We'd bake chocolate chips cookies, play in bubbles in the sink, put on puppet shows (the stage was chairs, covered in blankets, the puppets stuffed animal friends) and watch favorite movies like "Ghostbusters" and laugh. It was great to take the day off and just play. Just imagine. Just be a kid. Just me and the kids.

We seldom seem to get many snow days now in Buffalo, not even one most years. We had the freak October storm last Columbus day, but really, we just don't get much snow. Nothing on the ground right now. It was 70 degrees here a week ago on Monday. Freaky.

Mrs. Virgina moved to Richmond 15 years ago, in her little Ford Tempo. Got rid of the wool clothes and long underwear. Doesn't own a shovel or the mandatory bucket of salt for the sidewalk. Freedom from the snow.

Then she bought a Ford Explorer. 4x4. Starts getting snow days as she begins her life as a teacher. They don't have snow equipment, so the smallest bit of snow, makes the world shut down. And she's goes out shopping on snow days, laughing, since the snow melts by 10 A.M. She laughs and laughs.

When she met her husband, and brought him up to Buffalo for Christmas, we got a little snow. And more snow. And some more. 8 feet of snow in 48 hours. Most places didn't even shut down. Just cleaned up, and told people to come in when they could. At best, 8 feet bought you one day off. 8 feet. Lots of shoveling, but nothing really shut down. We bought a six pack and stayed home.

After the 8 feet, Mrs. Virgina went home to laugh and laugh again, as she kicked in the 4 wheel drive and headed home to Richmond. And waited for her snow days there when it snows an inch.

Just like the guys always say, size doesn't matter. It's what you do with it that counts.

In Buffalo, we just keeping going on.