Snow day!
Well, this is a hard one for me. As a child I had a dream: to one day be the one who decides that it’s a snow day, school’s closed, hurrah, everybody stay home and have fun. In grade school I always imagined the school superintendent–the one who made this decision–to be something like an old and powerful wizard, think Albus Dumbledore in his indigo robes and pointy hat, holding the remote, watching the Weather Channel. The power to close school…wow. And made even more powerful by the restraint shown in using it.
Since I grew up in Minnesota, snow days were rare. I laugh at Seattlites who shut down the city for just a couple of inches of snow. Yesterday, Seattle Schools closed…with no snow on the ground! In my day (yes, I’m starting to say things like “In my day”) the superintendent would never be so lax.
And now, at least in my own work, I have the power. I can close my office. And I’ve decided to stay open. Here’s my policy: if you’re scheduled to see me and feel it would be unsafe to try to get here, by all means let’s reschedule. But if you can make it to my office without a problem, I’ll be happy to see you. For one thing, I’m a therapist, so if a client is dealing with hard stuff and has an appointment with me, I feel ethically bound to make every effort to keep that appointment. (And I feel personally interested and even eager to see you, no kidding.)
And there’s one more reason: I can actually walk to work from my house. It’s not too far away.
So even though I have the power to proclaim this a snow day, a day of frolic and freedom for me and all my clients, I’m going to give that power to you and walk (happily) through the Winter Wonderland to my office.
Whether we meet today or not, let’s both be sure to savor the fun and beauty of the snow!
