Hot off the heels of yet another storm, and consequently, another snow day. Those of us who just months ago welcomed the odd day off with open arms now turn a cold shoulder to the all too frequent forecasts of snow.
And let’s be honest here. We may have dreamed of a white Christmas, but probably not a white January and February as well. We usually appreciate the occasional snow day every school year, but the snow days have popped up more than “occasionally” this winter. Any time students don’t have to drag themselves out the front door at seven in the morning is a relief, but after one, two, or five snowstorms, the remnants begin to become an eyesore. Remnants such as the omnipresent heaps of snow spilling off the curbs and the chalky gray salt stains tinting the windows of every last bus, car, and Honda Odyssey.
But aside from puddles of slush at every turn, sidewalks glistening with ice, and piles of dirty snow shoved off the road, what else are we left with? Time. A whole day (or days) that forms a gaping hole in the regular schedule of life, a break from the daily grind; yet this hole, this absence, is not nearly as satisfying as we necessarily hope for it to be. At almost all stages of life, we as parts of society are always doing something: school, college, work, something we may not necessarily enjoy, but creates a regularity that becomes a part of our everyday lives. Whether we like it or not, school, despite its criticism for being “boring,” actually saves us from the boredom of life without anything to do. School may not be what we call “entertainment,” but it’s better than nothing.
Think about it: What is there to do when everything’s blanketed by a foot of snow? Optimistic options include: shoveling (never hurt to clear the parking lot), sledding at Fairway Hills, or a snowball fight with a couple buddies. But to be honest, most of us will probably remain holed up in our rooms trying for new high scores on Flappy Bird.
With the social networks created by the Internet, the interaction with friends is not lost without school, but the mere regularity is. Despite our high hopes to savor every minute of a snow day, boredom, more often than not, will set in after a couple hours. Along with the realization that a few deadlines will get pushed back, and that you have an entire day to relax comes a feeling of lethargy. So before you jump for joy about dodging yet another day of boredom and schoolwork, think about how bored you will be without the schoolwork you’re used to muscling through day after day after day.
