Started and stopped

As promised by the weatherman, it did actually snow last night.  My husband excitedly came downstairs at about 11 pm to report white stuff was falling from the sky.  Like a small child, I felt excitement.  

I have a new appreciation of snow since it fell in Tokyo two years ago.  It was the first time that the world didn't stop when the ground was wrapped in a cold blanket.  In Seattle people freak out.  It is no wonder due to all the hills, reliance on cars for transportation, and fear of the unknown.  Frankly, most people just don't know how to deal with snow in Seattle.

But here, life keeps on going.  Except when you're young.  Then you get a chance for the world to stop and let you play.

So when I saw it falling last night, the child inside me got excited.  I wanted to play in it with my son.

Unfortunately, by the time we woke, the rain had taken all the lovely white stuff and sent it down the drain.  I think I might have been even more disappointed than my son.

We took it in stride.  I walked him to school and then I met a friend for tea.  After school, we went home and spent time together doing nothing much.  We snuggled on the couch while he practiced reading.  I cooked dinner while he played dress up and tried to surprise me with his various costumes.  We made cards for daddy to say thank you for being awesome.

At the end of the day, I read a poem to my son by Fred Rogers titled "It's an Ugly Day".  The last line of the poem is "I'd say we'd made the most of an ugly day."

We didn't get our snow day.  But we did have a nice day together.  Maybe the snow will come a different day.

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It's an Ugly Day

by Fred Rogers

It's an ugly day

Made of mugly gray

It's a sit-down-by-the-fire

And be snuggle day.

It's a cloudy day

And a dowdy day

It's a play-some-Chinese-checkers

Read-out-loud day.

It's a day to cuddle up

With a chocolate cookie

Hook a rug or knit - 

'Cause it's an ugly day

Made of mugly gray

It's a better-wear-your-sweater

And by snuggly day.

If we pop us some corn

And have cinnamon toast

I'd say we'd made the most

Of an ugly day.