Perhaps it’s just a by-product of getting older, but I can’t help but wonder if we’re getting softer as time passes. Every year, like clockwork, winter rolls around, and every year, we can expect that at some point, the roads will be covered in some version of winter precipitation. Whether it be slush, ice, or just good old fluffy snow, it’s guaranteed to happen. Only, I notice that we don’t react to it as we did back in the “good old days.”
I can remember as a youngster knowing that, barring an absolute blizzard, I was probably going to be in school. Snow days were the exception, not the rule. I can even remember helping the bus driver put chains on the bus to make sure that happened. Now, if something like that were to happen, the public uproar would be deafening. “Children forced to apply vehicular enhancements so they can travel to school.” While I’m sure it would horrify some parents even to consider that prospect, it was simply something we did because this area used to be made of sterner stuff.
Now? School is canceled based on even the potential chance of “inclement weather” because a weatherman said there MIGHT be a “chance” of snow. People complain because the city roads are clearer than the county, or vice versa. Facebook posts are created asking how the roads are from Point A to Point B. Businesses put themselves on delays or close early because of a little accumulation. It reminds me of when Atlanta essentially ground to a halt a few years ago because of a few inches of snow. I never thought the day would come when an area traditionally known for being so resilient would lose their minds over a dusting of the white stuff. We simply used to get up, look outside and see a few inches of snow, and then go on about our normal lives. We would still wipe the grocery stores of milk and bread, though, because some things will never change.
Maybe, just maybe, we should try and remember who we are and what we’re capable of. We’re Tennesseans, not a bunch of proverbial city slickers. Don’t be afraid to get out and drive in the snow on occasion because it’s a learning experience that just might be good for you.
