Non-essential workers are advised not to report. School cancelations number in the thousands. Snow removal equipment plies the highways and the four snowmen on horseback seem to be charging towards us through the howling winds.
Man am I glad that my commute today consists of a short walk from the breakfast table to my modest home office and the biggest obstacle is whatever piece of firewood my Golden Labrador puppy may have pulled from the kindling bin next to the fireplace overnight.
I remember those days. Upon hearing the evening before of impending snows I'd make my plans to accommodate unknowable next day commuting travails. I'd be up even earlier than usual. I'd be out with my shovel before the sun to hack my way through the mountain of snow dutifully placed at the end of my driveway by my local government.
After chipping the ice off the windshield, I'd hit the road and some number of hours later, stressed, aggravated and significantly less productive than normal, I'd settle down for and abbreviated day.
My productivity would be further inhibited by that fact that most of the people I'd have come to collaborate with would each, to one extent or another, be suffering similar productivity inhibitions.
Instead, on the day of Snowmageddon, I'm logged in by 6:00. By the time I break for tea my inbox is under control. Before my first conference call of the day, several significant tasks are behind me.
Meanwhile, as the family emerges to their unexpected holiday, I hear the echo of the TV reporters as they dramatize in detail the plight of so many traditional commuters whose crusade in the face of the elements is in full swing.
I hear the newsperson speak about the loss of $100 million of productivity per day as the US Federal government slips into its fourth day of shutdown due to successive East Coast blizzards.
Meanwhile millions of dollars literally melt away paying for aggressive snow removal and untold tons of carbon enter our atmosphere from nearly stationary vehicles as they follow the conga lines of snow plows paving new trails across the frozen tundra of our our highway system. I think of the many people whose wellbeing is endangered by the illegitimate notion that work only occurs when it is physically observed.
For me, as I sit comfortably in the warm confines of my home office, I enjoy a small level of smug comfort. Not only can I wait to clear away the snow, this day has reinforced the many benefits that my ability to telecommute provides to me, to my employer and to society in general.
It is for sure, a win, win, win.
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Posted 11 Feb 2010 at 11:39 AM