When I was young, the words “snow day” always made us smile. We would get up early in the morning and listen to the local AM radio station to find out if we had to go to school. For some reason, we were able to get up early to find out if we had to go to school, but would not wake up early to actually go to school. When school was cancelled, we would sleep a little later, get up, have breakfast and then go out and either shovel the driveway or grab our sleds and head for the nearest hill. As I got older and entered the work force, “snow day” meant getting up early (snow and getting up early always seem to go together), shoveling or snow plowing the driveway, and then hitting the roads of New Jersey, because “snow day” for the working person simply meant it was going to take you longer to go to and from your job. It was always stressful as drivers would not remember how to drive on the snow, and you always had to worry about if you were going to skid and hit something or if someone was going to skid and hit you. As we move into the internet age, “snow day” now means “NO SNOW DAY FOR ME”. I still have to get up early and shovel the driveway, but then, I work from my home, so I can still work a normal day, with an aching back. I am looking out my window at the moment and thinking, “will this snow ever stop?” At times like this, I try to slow myself down and understand that there were things that I had planned to do that are not going to get accomplished at the times I thought they would. I also try and think about how to make the best use of my time when I am not shoveling. At this point, after the snow removal, a cup of hot chocolate and the Olympics seem like a good idea. I look forward to seeing everyone at temple once the snow ends. Enjoy your day, stay safe (and warm) with your loved ones. Love, Howie

Copyright © 2010 Jewish Center of Northwest Jersey

Last updated: March 6, 2010