Dear Snow Fake-Out

Dear Snow Fake-Out,

It snowed today. That's right. Today, in Portland, Oregon - it snowed. I was out there this morning, playing some good old recreational flag football, and it was snowing the whole time. Kind of cool, really. Except for one thing: it was really just a you. Yup - a Snow Fake-Out.

Now there are likely those out there that don't really know what I mean, when I refer to a you, Snow Fake-Out. You, of course, know what you are. I think. But not others. And so I shall explain, if I may. A you is when it snows, but nothing really comes of it. Flakes fall, it seems pretty cold, and there is the hope that it is even cold enough for those very flakes to stick. And that hope builds. It builds into the hope that those flakes stick, and then more flakes stick onto those flakes that have already stuck. And that more flakes will stick to the flakes that have already stuck onto the flakes that have already stuck (to the ground). Etcetera. And this is where the fake-out comes in. The fake-out in a you is when none of these flake-sticking wishes come to fruition. Instead, it snows - even for an extended length of time - but no sticking occurs. THAT'S a you, Snow Fake-Out.

So who cares, right? So the freaking snow didn't stick - big deal. Exactly. Big Deal. It IS a Big Deal, and I shall now explain why.

It is a Big Deal because some people actually WANT the snow to stick - and stick BIG. Because some people really enjoy the snow. Some people enjoy the beauty of a fresh, new-fallen snow. Some people like to see a soft, yet glittering, carpet of downy whiteness blanketing the world in which they live. That beautiful, pristine whiteness makes an ordinary, run-of-the-mill BLA environment fresh and new. It gives renewed spirit to a man when the doldrums of Winter have set in, and he needs just a little bit of beauty and newness to bring him back to life. Snow that sticks is that Big.

Oh - and it can cancel school. And when school gets cancelled, this particular Middle School teacher gets an extra day off of work. And this particular Middle School teacher enjoys an extra day off work, especially at this point in the school year. Now don't get me wrong - I love my job. I really do. I enjoy the children that I work with - those sweet little raggamuffins. But I also enjoy being AWAY from those same sweet raggamuffins at times. And tomorrow would most definitely have been one of those times.

However, you, Snow Fake-Out, kept me from that dream. The you put hopes and dreams into my fantasy-prone mind, and then snatched them away just as quickly. Instead of sleeping in an extra couple hours tomorrow to a Winter Wonderland, I will get up in the early-morning darkness, sore and limping from two hours playing football with cold muscles. That's what today's you brought me.

But is it really your fault, Snow Fake-Out? Can I blame you for just being you? It's not like you lied to me or anything. I could see with my very own eyes, as the snow was falling, that none of those flakes were going to stick. I knew - in my heart of hearts - that even THINKING about a snow-day was bound to end in tears. But I fed those thoughts, nonetheless, and here I am acting like the you is responsible for those thoughts. And so I must say right now that it is not your fault.

And, to be honest, I enjoyed even that little taste of the dream that you brought me this morning. I enjoyed playing football with snow falling (but not enough to get my feet all wet). And that would not have been possible without a you. And the you today will only make it that much sweeter when (or if, I suppose) a true Snow Day comes my day in the future. If that happens, I will think back to today, and that disappointment I felt, and then reverse it to celebrate my day off. And I can only thank you for that, Snow Fake-Out.

And that's that.

Setting My Alarm,
CVT