What I Have Learned from Multiple Days Stuck at Home

Nobody loves a lazy day at home with a cup of bulletproof coffee and a new Amazon Prime series more than I. Watching the snow turn my neighborhood into a winter wonderland added to the cozy feelings that made the first snow day so wonderful...

That was nine days ago, the first snow day of the season...

This past Friday's school day was cut short around the Puget Sound due to another oncoming winter storm. Unusual weather around these parts, the school districts, including St. Mary's (not part of a district), wanted all families to get home safely. It's Tuesday now, and I have yet to leave the house in 4.5 days. Yes I am getting cabin fever, yes... I'm even ready to be back to school. It hasn't just been this long weekend but last week as well was all kinds of weird...Monday- snow day. Tuesday - 2 hour delay, Wednesday - 2 hour delay and as mentioned Friday - 2 hour early release. I just saw the first snow plow drive down our street. Because this is such a rare occurrence, the city doesn't spend the money that other places do on winter preparedness, so while the main streets have been cleared, our street is a sheet of ice covered with a foot of snow, melted by rain overnight and turned to slush. My driveway, however, still has half a foot of snow and my van doesn't do well at all.

So, with all this time at home I want to share a few things I've learned that I didn't know before:

1. TLC has no show other than Say Yes to the Dress all. day. long. Does anyone even watch this show?!!! Who CARES what insanely expensive dress random strangers pick for their wedding? NO ONE CARES!!

2. For my teen boys, looking cool is now more important than being warm. I watched them walk away, 2 miles (one way) to the store, in jeans, hoodies, and their Vans shoes...no coats, no hats, no gloves. I warned them repeatedly that the snow was about to dump again but they said they were fine. Snow flakes the size of quarters started falling shortly after they left and by the time they arrived home, an hour and a half later, they were soaked and cold, but refused to admit they were idiots.

3. Snow brings people together. Even though we were physically housebound together, I watched my kids happily play together in the snow for hours. I played happily in the snow with them for hours. Neighbors we didn't know honked as they drove by and congratulated us on the "Great Job!" we did building our snow family. Groups of people walked down the road carrying sleds to the large hill a street over from ours. Our mail man stopped to talk. Another neighbor stopped by to make sure we were doing fine. Online, an incredible, "we are in this together" attitude took over and the polarizing political posts became minimal.  

4. We are incredibly lucky human beings. When our greatest problem is being stuck at home, how can I complain?!!!  We have a warm house, clean water, food, and all the other luxuries that we take for granted that make us the richest country in the world. Internet, phone, washer/dryer, TV, refrigerator....the list goes on and on of things to be grateful for. Anyone who lives an average, or even below average existence in America is filthy rich compared to a majority of the rest of the world. Privilege is a hot-button word in our society right now "Check your privilege" they say...well, I say, if you live here, you are privileged, be grateful for that. Oops, I didn't meant to get political...it just came out. 

In conclusion, while I look forward to getting my van out of the garage and being able to drive out of my driveway and get back to normal life, I appreciate a newfound gratitude for all I have and I ask everyone to "check their privilege," check it so you can appreciate it and be thankful for all you have.