Day 23: January 23, 2016 Guiltless Gift

January 23, 2016
Day 23 Guiltless Gift

The first snow day of the year and it falls on a Saturday. Last year I realized I do not like snow days. My anticipation brings me to a mountain top and the reality then pushes me over the edge. I imagine a leisurely day sitting by the coal stove drinking tea (after too much coffee) and reading any book I can find. The disappointment leaves me scrambling for good feels cause that ain't the way it often works. Instead, I am usually up and down helping someone find something or fixing food when I am not hungry. So when the impending snow storm became a household topic I regulated my expectations and decided to push that gauge down to ZERO anticipation. I was not going to be a sucker this time.

Good move on my part, today has been relaxing, refreshing, interesting, and full of many accomplishments. Note to self for next prophesied snowstorm: turn down that knob. It certainly helped this snow day. However, this comes a bit late in light of the fact that the amount of snow days I have lived through with children far exceeds the low temperatures I have endured. Today, the boys were at home. The state of PA declared a state of emergency and so we were homebound. Jesse desperately wanted to be somewhere else but it was not possible. Such a pain being the youngest.

Today, we read, we laughed, we worked and we caught up on some relaxation. These days are welcome to a busy schedule. Cancellations allow us to catch a breath, step back, and reflect. We do not have anything to do and it feels great. These days are guiltless gifts.