For the past few days, it’s been snowing where I live and we’ve had a winter wonderland. Living in the South, I had to laugh at how predictable we are in how we dealt with it.

In case you were wondering, this is what it feels like when a snow storm hits the South. Let me break it down for you…

First, we learn about the possibility of snow coming. There’s a lot of buzz about the expected inclement weather and it’s all anyone talks about. Next, we stock up on a plethora of food because the thought of being trapped in a home without food is terrifying. We plan our meals, think of winter food to make and buy all the ingredients. I went with chili. I know, how original. Store shelves become empty as everyone buys everything. The Whole Foods where I went to buy our provisional items looked like it was going out of business.

Finally, after much preparation and anticipation, the snow comes. Thank goodness. It’s always a bummer when, after all of this hard work and effort, the snow doesn’t actually fall.

The snow is beautiful and fabulous and we can’t wait to play in it. We drink hot chocolate with marshmallows and sit by the fire. We snuggle and bask in the warmth of being together. There’s a festive atmosphere in the house. We put on a ridiculous amount clothing and venture out to play in the snow. We go sledding and build snowmen, take short walks in the snow and talk about how beautiful it looks.

We’re a Hallmark card.

Businesses close. Restaurants close. Almost everything closes.

This was five days ago, when the thought of having a snow storm over a weekend was exciting. Then, after the weekend, school was cancelled. We felt lucky to have extra time to enjoy our winter wonderland and it was still fun. Neighborhood kids came and went, I cooked meal after meal and did load after load of laundry.

It was still magical.

Just like clock work, I can almost predict what will happen after a few days of being trapped in the house. It doesn’t take very long for my daughters, ages 17 and 14 to start making plans with their friends. They’ve had fun in the neighborhood, but that’s starting to get old. They want more. They start to get cabin fever and feel restless. Plus, we’re out of hot chocolate with little marshmallows and after three days of dinner, the chili isn’t very enticing.

My kids think that because they don’t have school, they have time to get together with their friends. To them, no school means playtime. Here’s what I don’t understand: if the roads are bad enough for school to be canceled, why do my kids think they’re safe enough for us to drive them to see their friends?

Does this make sense to you? Am I missing something?

My kids have everything they could possibly need to have a fun snow day at home: neighborhood friends to play with, a kitchen stocked with their favorite foods and a plethora of technology devices to keep them hooked up to their friends. It’s not like they can’t see their friends and chat with them all day. Thank goodness we still have power in the house.

“You don’t have to take me,” my seventeen year old daughter said, “I’m comfortable driving.”

“Are you kidding me? You’re comfortable driving. The last thing I would ever let you do is drive,” I tell her, almost falling over from laughing. I have a hard enough time feeling comfortable with her driving when there isn’t any snow on the roads.

It’s been four days. Four wonderful and relaxing days of family and fun. But, now it’s time for school to be back in session. We want to end this snow storm on a high. We want to look back and recall fond memories.

As my daughters start bickering and fighting with one another, I take a deep breath and laugh. Since we’ve eaten all of our food, I leave my house for the first time in four days, trusting that the roads are fine.

Fortunately, they are. School will soon start, life will go back to normal and we’ll look back on this snow storm with happy memories.

Find meaning each day,

Dara