Why We Love Snow Days
Author’s Note: My topic for the week is snow, but really the theme is about the importance of momentarily pressing pause every once in awhile. Check back next week as we dig back in (probably) to real estate, the economy, interest rates, and inflation. If you are new to The Sunday Morning Post, please make sure you are subscribed below to get my weekly articles in your inbox (for free) each Sunday morning. Thanks for being here.
I am writing this on Saturday morning as I watch the first snowflakes peacefully, lazily, forebodingly fall from the sky in what is anticipated to be our first true nor’easter of the season. The forecast makes me happy because this winter, like the last couple before it, has thus far been fairly pathetic here in Maine. What we hearty Mainers have been subjected to this year and last has been a series of in-between nonsense that is not quite snow and not quite rain, leaving roads, sidewalks, and parking lots treacherously slippery and decidedly not fun. Not only that, but this winter on the days when it has not been precipitating the temperature has been hovering somewhere around 0 degrees, which is also terrible. It is time we had a proper snowstorm at a civilized temperature of at least double digits and now it is finally upon us.
Sure, if you work outside or have to travel or shoveling is not your thing, a big storm is at best an annoyance. To others it can surely be a burden. And to virtually all of us, snow is disruptive. But it is exactly the disruptive nature of a big storm that makes them so appealing to me.
Why do we love snow days? I think there are three main reasons:
If you’re young, adventurous, or at least young-at-heart, snow is fun. And if you’re not in a position in life to be able to have fun in the snow, a big storm at least evokes nostalgia for playing in snow as a kid when the snowbanks were higher and the days were longer and more carefree.
It feels good sometimes to cancel plans. We are all over-scheduled. There is too much to do and not enough time to do it. When a big storm hits, it is like taking a day and shaking it upside down like an Etch-a-Sketch, clearing the slate, and providing easy outs for all kinds of things you may or may not want to do.
Big weather events make us feel connected to others. And how many things are there in the world today that actually make us feel connected to one another in meaningful ways? When a blizzard hits, it snows and the wind blows on Democrats, Republicans, women, men, the old, the young, the rich, the poor…everyone. So you, me, that neighbor down the street…forget what you were going to do today, we’re all going to do this snow thing instead.
On that last point, there is probably some sort of ancestral thread that can be traced back to our days living on the open savannah or in caves or wherever that, in response to danger, we draw more closely together. Don’t you feel that way when a big storm is on the way? Sometimes this manifests itself in literal ways, like when there are very long lines at the grocery store the night before a big storm. But there is also just this cohesiveness that washes over us when a storm is about to hit or when it is actually raining, snowing, or blowing. I find it to be soothing in some ways, this reminder that we are all in this together. Even social media takes a break from the usual cesspool of spats, outrage, and other nonsense and everyone just relaxes around the shared experience of anticipating and then enduring a storm together.
As I’ve alluded to above, I also think it is healthy for us to simply pause every once in awhile. Life is busy and stressful enough that when something as disruptive as a large storm is upon us that you shouldn’t have to continue with those stressful activities amidst it. Pressing pause whether it be for a few hours, a day, or several days is healthy for the mind and good for the soul.
That is one reason why I think it is important for businesses to actually close during big storms (my bank, First National Bank, sent out a message on Friday that we would be closed on Saturday, giving employees time to plan and to proactively contact customers who might be regular Saturday morning visitors to a particular branch in order to give them a heads up).
I also think when a snow day is called for schools and the schools are closed it should generally be just that: a day off from school. Technology has given us all kinds of options now for remote learning, Zoom classes, and the like, but I think most if not all snow days should be true off-days for the kids. It is a recognition that kids (not to mention teachers and staff!) need breaks too. Plus perhaps recognizing the power and awe of the natural world every once in awhile is enough of a lesson for the day in itself. And lastly, kids should be playing outside in the snow on a snowy morning instead of staring at a Zoom screen. Because remember, after all, snow is fun.
Of course, the aftermath of a storm is often less fun than the anticipation and reality of the storm itself. I do worry that the mood is much more positive towards the current nor’easter storming outside my window on Saturday than it will be when most of my readers are actually reading this on Sunday morning. Sure, maybe the trees will be glistening as the morning sunshine sparkles through the branches and maybe there will be a sense of peace over the world tomorrow morning. Or maybe there will be two feet of snow to shovel, whipping winds, and blowing drifts to contend with. But hey, from where I sit on Saturday morning, things are looking pretty good out my window for now and even as the storm barrels down on us the world actually feels more relaxed.
Ben Sprague lives and works in Bangor, Maine as a V.P./Commercial Lending Officer for Damariscotta-based First National Bank. He previously worked as an investment advisor and graduated from Harvard University in 2006. Ben can be reached at ben.sprague@thefirst.com or bsprague1@gmail.com. Follow Ben on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
Weekly Round-Up
An island with a cottage on it off the coast of Maine is for sale for $339,000: https://bangordailynews.com/2022/01/26/business/to-buy-this-down-east-island-you-have-to-survive-a-night-there-joam40zk0w/
One Good Listen
I think this New York Times - The Daily podcast about where we currently stand with the pandemic is a must-listen. Podcast guest David Leonhardt says:
The second thing about Omicron is that it tends to be milder than earlier versions of the virus. It can still be severe for people who are not vaccinated and for a small number of people who are immunocompromised or very elderly. But for the vast majority of people, if you are vaccinated and you get Omicron, you are not going to get very sick.
I think this is important to note because, as David Leonhardt also says, the most conservative among us who still believe that COVID is a hoax or the vaccines are a conspiracy are obviously not correct, but neither are the most strident on the other side who seem to be paralyzed with fear. Sure, for the elderly and immunocompromised, the situation is different. But for the vast majority of people, if you are vaccinated and boosted, COVID poses very little risk and if you contract COVID at this point and you are vaccinated and boosted it will most likely manifest itself in short-term mild symptoms similar to a cold or the flu.
In response to a question from the host about whether there is a “politically-infused irrationality” at play, Leonhardt says:
I think there is. I think you see it with Republicans who are refusing to get vaccinated. And I think you see it with Democrats who are really struggling to imagine a future in which Covid isn’t a dominant part of our life.
And he continues:
So if you believe the science, you should go get the vaccine, because all the science says the vaccines are very safe and very effective at preventing serious Covid illness. But let’s focus on that second beat just for a second. The science says vaccines are very effective at preventing serious Covid illness. So if you believe the science, it doesn’t argue only for getting vaccinated. It also argues for living your life in a way that reflects that you’ve been vaccinated.
You can listen to this podcast by clicking here.
Or you can read the transcript by clicking here.
One Good Read
On a lighter note, I enjoyed this long-form piece in GQ entitled, “The Secrets of the World’s Greatest Art Thief” by Michael Finkel. You may need to create a free GQ online account (which only requires your email address) to read it in full. A brief excerpt:
In the annals of art crime, it's hard to find someone who has stolen from ten different places. By the time the calendar flips to 2000, by Breitwieser's calculations, he's nearing 200 separate thefts and 300 stolen objects. For six years, he's averaged one theft every two weeks. One year, he is responsible for half of all paintings stolen from French museums.
By some combination of skill and luck, Breitwieser and Kleinklaus are doing everything right to avoid capture. They constantly shift the countries they target, alternating between rural and urban locations, large museums and small, while further mixing things up by stealing from churches, auction houses, and art fairs. They don't kick down doors or cover their faces with masks—actions that would trigger a much greater police response.
You can read the full (and lengthy) article by clicking here.