When it Snows in Seattle

People freak out when it snows in Seattle. This morning I am sitting in the foothills of the Cascade mountains, 20 miles east of the city. Listening to the small talk of baristas usually grates on my nerves a bit. The same questions elicit the same answers over, and over, and over again. But today is different: today its snowing.

People tend to love or hate the snow. Right now I am looking at one guy in shorts and a T-shirt. I am also looking at a lady adorned in a down jacket and snow boots. Seeing them stand next to each other illustrates my point: no one responds to the snow reasonably in Seattle. We dont know how to and you can't blame us. We get snow once or twice a winter, and the snow tends to melt away during lunch break. We just dont have enough exposure to snow.

Back to the baristas small talk. I am hearing a lot of exasperated Puget-sounders saying things like, "I cant believe this, we are going to have to cancel X, and I can no longer go to Y." Others respond by saying, "I love the snow, this is awesome, or I cant wait to get rear ended by someone from California!" They dont really say the third one but we all think it.

How do you respond to the unexpected? Do you delight in the break of routine or dread the loss of predictability? I cant wait to do doughnuts in an empty parking lot and throw snowballs with my daughter. You may respond differently and thats ok. Just dont rear end me on the road (still looking at you Cali drivers).