Mum tucked me in. "Mum, is
it really going to snow?" She pulled the blankets up to my chin and kissed
my cheek.
"That's what the weatherman
said."
"Will they cancel school?"
"It depends. If we get
twelve inches like he said, they probably will."
"Great! I don't want to go
to school. I want to play in the snow."
"Now, Michael! Don't go
getting your hopes up. You could be disappointed."
"But the weatherman said ."
"Michael, storms are
unpredictable." She patted my hand. "Go to sleep and we'll see what the
morning brings."
She closed the door. The
room grew dark. Outside, the wind howled. Sleet and ice clattered against
the window. I heard mum walk to the kitchen. It was safe. I rolled out of
bed, crept to the window, and pulled the blinds back. Snow swirled beneath
the streetlight and spun in circles over the pavement like the sands in a
desert. My heart rate increased - no school tomorrow!
"Michael, are you in bed?"
Mum called out.
"Yes, Mum!" I ran back to
my bed and pulled the covers up to my chin. How did she know?
"You better be!"
"I am, Mum! You can come
and see."
"Go to sleep!" "
Yes, Mum!" I curled beneath
the blankets. The wind howled. I was warm and safe in my cocoon. Mum and
Dad chatted and watched a TV. I listened to the wind and wished for a day
off to play in the snow.
"Michael!" Mum shook my
shoulder. "Michael, it's time to get up - time for school."
"School?" I rolled over and
stared up at her. "Mum?"
"I'm sorry, Michael. The
snow missed us. It turned to rain. The schools are open."
"No snow?"
"Michael, you'll be late."
"But the snow ."
"There's no snow, Michael.
Get up and brush your teeth."
I groaned and rolled out of
bed. At the sink, I held my toothbrush and looked at myself in the mirror.
My reflection mimicked the sickness and disappointment I felt. The school
loomed - a prison for kids without a snow day. On each side of the street,
the remaining snow melted and created tiny rivers of muddy water. I
watched them come together into bigger streams. Brown dirt eddied where
the water paused in hollows before it flowed into the ocean. Images of
ships floundering in the currents flashed through my mind. The school bell
rang and jolted me to reality. My dream of a day off melted like the snow
in the heavy rain.
The school day lasted
forever. The teacher's words went unheard. I sat at my desk and wallowed
in self-pity. I kept thinking. "How could this happen? The weatherman said
it would snow. Everything is ruined."
"Psst!" I turned to my
right. My friend Justin stared at me. I glanced at my teacher. Her back
was to us.
"What?" I whispered.
"Want to play after
school?"
I shook my head. "There's
no snow."
"So? The brook behind the
school is full of water, and it's running fast. We could play with our
boats. We'll fill them with our plastic men and see if they can make it
through the rough waters. We can drop rocks at them and pretend we're
pirates firing cannonballs at them."
"Who's talking back there?"
Justin and I jumped and looked forward. "Are you boys talking?" Our
teacher glared at us.
"No, Mrs. Henneberry!" we
said in unison. She turned back to the blackboard. "See you after school."
I whispered to Justin. The bell rang. Justin and I rushed out the door and
had the time of our lives.
Pirates raided boats in the
rough waters of the stream. Our ships sank in the murky water. Two boys
laughed and played until their mother's called them for supper. The sorrow
I felt that morning was gone.
Snuggled under my blankets
that night, I smiled and thought, "What a great day!"
The lost snow day is many
years behind me, but its lesson is fresh. The day began with
disappointment. A wish, a dream was gone. Over the years, I've looked at
my reflection in the mirror in the morning and felt that same hurt. There
were lottery tickets that didn't win the money I desperately needed. "Why
didn't I win?" I'd whine. I'd wished and hoped for it. Why didn't it
happen?
There were times when I
didn't want to get out of bed, because there was nothing to get up for.
The job I'd had ended the day before. Why did it have to happen to me? My
first wife passed away. I looked in the mirror the next day and felt that
same "no snow day" emptiness. "Why did this have to happen? All the dreams
we had for the future are gone."
In each case, the
circumstances were out of my hands. It did no good to wallow in self-pity.
I had to get out of bed, face the day, and make the best of my situation.
If I hadn't, I would never have found a new job. If I hadn't forced my way
through the grief of losing my wife, I would never have found new love. If
school would have been cancelled, I would have missed on a great time with
my friends.
When your day doesn't start
the way you hoped it would, you need to take control of the one thing I
have control over - you.
THIS WEEK'S BIRTHDAYS:
1.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009 - The Class of 1957 will hold its
