Snow Days (Holly Schindler)

Here in Missouri, winter hits the hardest after Christmas. If you want proof, here's a video I uploaded to YouTube back in '13--about a snow that fell in early May (!)

Snow days are easy to come by this time of year. 

Of course, when I was the age of the kids who read my MGs, snow days meant escape. They meant an unexpected reprieve. No spelling tests. No fights in the cafeteria. 

Even now, they sill feel like escape, to some extent. An escape from the quick pace of everything, anyway. I love the quiet of snow days. I love hot tea and thick socks. I love watching my dog jump in the midst of the falling snowflakes. I love cozying up with a book I've been meaning to read.

I love that the whole world seems to slow down for a bit. That the roads are empty and the neighbors ask if there's anything we need. 

I don't usually write 5,000 words during snow days. Mostly, I brainstorm while shoveling the front walk. 

Then again, sometimes I just breathe deep and listen to the kids playing down the street. 

And maybe, on occasion, I throw a snowball or two myself...