Start with waking up at normal time because, last night, the phone didn’t ring. Now, before it sounds like I’m complaining, I’m not. I actually expected to be at work today because the storm didn’t look that big nor did the percentages seem that high. Or the accumulation that big a deal.

So, 5:20, my alarm goes off and I get out of bed. Pull the covers tight even though the dogs are both camped out on the bed. As I go downstairs, I glance out the windows above the front doors and notice the new snow. About an inch. Nothing much. But because we live and I teach in a rural county, most of our students live on backroads. 

I check the phone. No call. So I head to the kitchen and pop bread into the toaster. Feed the dogs. Send them out for their morning “excursion.” And as I supervise the dogs to make sure they don’t decide to run off and chase cars or play fetch with a big-rig, my watch buzzes, signaling an incoming phone call.

The county’s number!

I dash to my phone, answer it, jog back to the front door and call for the dogs while hitting the magic number 1 that will let me listen to the message.

And, due to icy secondary roads, school is closed.

WOOT!!! I mean, darn. 

No. I mean WWWOOOOOOOTTT!!! Because I love my job and I love my students and I love these long hours at home of time that is not broken up by bells and clangs. I love that I can migrate from activity to activity without worrying about coverage or if this is the right thing to do at the right time in terms of curricular scaffolding. 

So this morning was coffee and peanut butter toast with blueberries while watching Northern Exposure, one of my favorite shows from the 90’s. Not going to lie, I still think Chris (aka John Corbett) is not only lovely to listen to (come on, he reads poetry and talks about philosophy) while also being well…lovely to look at as well. It’s only been thirty years since I used to watch the show. It’s fun to still feel young.

And then, after taking care of the pets, it’s Lego Harry Potter time. As in building the astronomy tower or actually playing the game. Today, I saved Hogwarts from the dementors, saved Sirius Black and Buckbeak, and fought off the death eaters at the world quidditch cup. That’s right. Gracelesscurran can alohamora the heck out of you.

And so, as time slips into another nuanced hour, I shift into writing. Since the beginning of the year (not a resolution), I am determined to write a page a day. I missed a couple of days this week and today was my day for catching up and getting ahead. And it was wonderful toggling between three tabs as I worked on two (yes, two) chapters while reading the emotions thesaurus on One Stop For Writers. Love. Just love. Feeling words unfold as the conflict develops and characterization evolves. This is my life. This is what I am made for.

Smoky paprika lentil potato soup for lunch. House cleaning. Dog walking. More writing. Pet caring. More writing. Reading.

My life moves in blissful moments as the snow melts and I go outside to take the dogs on a mile walk on wet but unfrozen sidewalks. I live deep within the world and just let the cold air inhabit my lungs, warm up so that when I exhale, I breathe out a long plume of mist. 

These are my snow days when I don’t have grading. When I don’t have planning because I did everything earlier this week. This is when I am able to live by my own definitions and explore who I am and what I want to be and what I want to do. I cycle from youth to adulthood to youth again. 

And so, yes. I love my job. I love my students. I love what I do.

And I love the hell out of snowdays too. And, sometimes, even more.