OK, I have had enough. The snow is piled up all over the place here in the Capital District. It is dirty and messy, sloppy and slushy and I am sick and tired of looking at it. I know there are worse problems in life so I shouldn't complain but honestly after a point it gets downright depressing. I need a little sunshine right this very minute, I need a little sunshine now.
Even so, there is one great blessing hidden within this avalanche of snow. I get to share some special moments with a 5 year old guy named Connor Patrick. He doesn't mind the snow in the least. There is nothing quite like waking up in the wee hours of the morning and learning that you don't have to go to school. Remember? Instead you get to spend the day with Mema & Papa who will cater to your every whim (and this is only a slight exaggeration). There is so much snow at this point that the trucks have nowhere else to push it and have literally created a snow mountain in the circle in front of our house. Connor is thrilled to bring his sword and scale his own private mountain to the very top. Then we go into the kitchen, remove all the wet clothes, get the fire going in the wrought iron stove, and drink hot chocolate with marshmallows. Papa plays some computer games with his favorite pal and then they laugh and wrestle together in the basement. After that we open the latest copy of Hi Five Magazine and look for a quieter activity. We find directions for a perfect project since, of course, The King of Snow Mountain needs a crown. We have a very busy day together and absolutely nothing gets done around the house. I feel a little guilt over it but then I remember that snow doesn't last forever and neither does childhood. I also remember a tiny but far from insignificant saying, Life is what happens to you while you are making other plans. The older I get the more I understand those simple few words. I had a million other plans for my day but was stopped dead in my tracks by an underrated snowstorm. Nonetheless, the unexpected "life" that happened to me this day turned out to be marvelous in every way.
Love, Mary Beth
