snowy adventures

Last night, I stayed up the entire night to finish my business project which was supposed to be due this morning at 8.  It snowed 8 inches last night. Classes are cancelled.

I suppose it really isn’t that bad.  I am happy to be done with my project.  This morning, I had finished it by 7, but there was no way I was going to sleep for an hour just to get up again to go to class.  I still thought classes were on, so I left at 7 to get some breakfast at d-hall.  something I have NEVER done.  As I sat enjoying my potatoes, listening to christmas music on the d-hall radio, the announcer came on.  “So, if you haven’t heard, we got eight inches of snow last night, we’re expecting another five today, and another five tonight.  Most schools in the area are closed for the snow, including EMU, UVA, JMU…”  At that point, I had been staring out the window at the untouched beauty of a snow covered morning for so long, I didn’t even care that I didn’t sleep last night.  If I had, there’s no chance I would have been out walking at 7:00 this morning to witness that perfectly clean white blanket wrapped around the world, enclosing it in silence.

Full of potatoes and bisciuts, and warm enough to savor the cold, I decided to try to drop off my project portfolio at showker.  On the commons I passed a theta chi frat boy who had spent the night in a sleeping bag under a table next to the booth for the 12 days of charity for operation santa claus.  I can only imagine how cold he must have been.  I laughed at the silly frat boy, who I only knew was there because the lump that was his sleeping bag was visably shivering. 

I walked down the stairs by godwin, and as I began to pass the football field, I noticed the gate was opened.  I looked around, and no one was anywhere.  I had yet to see anyone but snow plow drivers (and a groggy chelsea face) all morning.  I made my way out to the very center of the field, laid down in the snow, and made a snow angel.  I stood up, admired my work, and continued on my trek to showaker.

When I arrived, all the lights were off, and there was not one footstep leading up to the doorway.  It looked grim.  I bounded through the deep drifts, went up to the fifth floor, knocked on the door, and found a lack of Dr. Cox.  Oh well…

I journeyed back to gifford, singing christmas carols at the top of my lungs.  There was no one in sight; who would hear me?  I walked through the parking deck to avoid the 3 foot drifts of snow.  I sang O Holy Night.  It reverberated like the boundless ring through the grotto sanctuary the night when my sister and I sang the very same song in duet, and my mother cried.  I closed my eyes and I was there. 

In less than 8 days, I’ll open them, and still be.