Common Experience

It almost never snows in Austin, Texas. When it does, it is usually overnight and leaves a small coat of temporary frost on everything. It briskly melts and turns the ground to slush and mud.

Today it has been snowing for 6 hours straight so far. The snow is the deepest I’ve seen in memory. Austin looks completely different, as if it was painted over or temporarily placed in another world.

I went out for a bike ride around my neighborhood, and everyone was out reveling and playing in the snow. I saw an elderly couple out for a walk under an umbrella. I saw children throwing snowballs. I saw a middle age man rolling up a sizeable snowman in the park. I saw families sledding down a hill at a neighborhood park on lunch trays and pool floats.

So many people were out enjoying the oddity of a snowstorm that would make a ski destination envious.

I love these positive common experiences.

Since Covid started, I don’t think there has been many of them. Moods have been dour and the experiences society has since shared have been grim. Just earlier this week the whole Country had a common experience of watching nutjobs (Meal Team Six, Yall Qaeda, WalMartyrs, what have you). I think everyone stopped what they were doing that day to watch and hope for the best.

Lets have less of that and more snow days.