Snowy

As a kid, I recall snow days as being these magical, illusive days where we had the opportunity to play outside for as long as we'd like.

More accurately, my brother and I could play outside for as long as we could stand our cold toes... everyone knows that moon boots were nothing if not leaky. In my kid memory, that first wet sensation of water seeping through my socks came sooner than I'd like... yet I'd tough it out until my socks were soaked through and I could feel the wrinkles in my icy-cold feet.

I also recall these huge drifts to the south of our house. When it was really cold, the drifts would get hard enough for us to carve out forts. We'd make several of these little dens and try (never with much success) to connect them with tunnels. We'd play in them for hours, in my kid memory.

Today, Gavin had a snow day. Although he was just as excited about his free day as I remember being... But he wasn't interested in going outside to play; not in the least... and his boots even repel water... no, he was more interested in obliging Dad in the bare minimum chore requirements in order to watch a movie and then play Wii for a while. (He'll do just about anything to look at a screen, but the privilege is something he must earn.)

Maybe I would have been the same as Gavin, had my growing up years been inundated with technology... Maybe I would have rather been tucked under a warm blanket watching a movie, like him. Maybe I would have tried to solve another level in a video game. I'm not sure... but that doesn't matter, as long as Gavin's kid memory recalls fondly those childhood snow days.