Snow Day 1983
5:57. The voice of the morning DJ jarred me from my dream. ”Northern Wells Community Schools, Closed. Paulding United School District, Closed.”
Crap.
Even though I know they list the schools systems in alphabetical order, I listen in rapt attention for as they continue to name off the school districts in our listening area. As name after name floats into history, I pray that we, the DeKalb Central kids, will be also be gifted with a day off.
I stare at the numbers on the clock, unblinking as the dial shifts and the card snaps down. One minute passed. Another minute of potential sleep spent waiting. Wasted.
6:03. Why do they insist on playing Lionel Ritchie? Don’t they know I hate this song now? That Peter only danced with me to this song because he couldn’t figure out a way to say no when I cornered him? He danced with me. He would rather have been assisting in the birth of a sheep. And he was a town kid. Who had never seen a sheep in person, probably.
6:05. ”The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for the entire listening area. Blowing snow is expected to cause drifting in rural areas, with drifts up to three feet possible in some areas.” Will they just get on with the delays? GET. ON. WITH. IT. Yeah, yeah, we know it’s snowing out. We have windows. We can see.
6:06 And now for the latest school delays and closings…..Cornerstone Christian Schools, Closed. DeKalb Central Schools, Two-hour delay. DeKalb Eastern Schools, Closed. East Allen County Schools, Closed.”
Seriously? Crap.
I reset my alarm for 7:50, and snuggle back under the heavy pile of quilts and blankets, protecting myself from the draft seeping in my western window, and prepare to start the waiting game all over again.
****
Things are different now. We used to patently wait by the radio, sometimes listening to the cycle a couple of times to make SURE our school was on the list before drifting back to an interrupted sleep.
Now, a quick check for a text message customized for our school district. Click the bookmark to double-check the school’s website. Turn off the girls’ alarm clocks. Done. Back to writing.
Life is tough.
What’s your favorite reason to love technology? Leave a comment…
*Photo credit: blmiers2 (Creative Commons)
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About Christine
I am a writer, a project manager, and a corporate refugee with a heart for orphans around the world. My two daughters were adopted from Ukraine at ages 12 and 14. I post about writing, chasing dreams, and making a difference in the world, and sometimes I share fun snippets of fiction in-progress.
Ah…the joys of technology. In this Google, Facebook, twitter era we are unwilling to wait for anything.
I wonder if that impatience for ANYTHING makes it so much easier to make compromises in our life? Can’t afford it??….thats OK…charge it! Really I had to have it…it was on Amazon’s deal of the day. It would have been gone tomorrow.
Someone says something that offends you, go nuclear on their Facebook page. Technology can do amazing things for good and bad.
That’s a beautiful picture Christine, we don’t have “snow days” here in Florida (generally speaking)… there are hurricane days though!
Where would we be without our technology? I guess that you would have had to make a decision for yourself on a snowy day like that about whether to forge ahead or not…
I love my technology for the same reason… accessibility to the information I need.. we have become so much more efficient. I also have to constantly evaluate, balance and keep life in perspective. Essential.