There are many things that winter teaches you in Minnesota. How to dress appropriately, the difference between types of snow, and often, how to simply have fun and enjoy it. However, one lesson that we were reminded of this year was that it’s always better to deal with the aftermath of a snowstorm in the morning than in the middle of the day.

Back in January we had a big storm roll through; nothing out of the ordinary, just a basic 6-8 incher. The problem was that it started around mid-day, after everyone had gone to work already. St. Paul Public Schools didn’t decide to end the school day early until it was far too late, and they paid the price. Many of their busses got stuck on the streets, and some kids didn’t make it home until after midnight. It was a complete debacle and PR nightmare.

This weekend the weather started to predict a big snow for Monday. As the hours got closer and closer it appeared that we were in for another repeat performance with a heavy snow hitting around mid-day again. After having learned their lesson in January, almost every school district in the area announced on Sunday eventing that they closed for the day Monday. Frankly, it was a wise move.

However, the weather decided to take it’s time, and the apart from a bunch of freezing drizzle, the main snow didn’t start to fall until late afternoon in the cities. Having lived in Minnesota almost my entire life, I know that tomorrow will be cries of complaint that there was no reason for school to be closed. Despite the fact that even the slightest shift of the storm track could have caused a repeat of January.

You see, in Minnesota our memories are short and selective when it comes to weather. We complain about the cold, or the snow, or the horrible job that the snow plows do. But then we forget that we’ve done this over and over, every year for all of the lives that we’ve lived here. Nothing we’re experiencing this winter is that different from any other winter in our history. In fact climate change has made things even a bit milder than when we were young.

Yet, we keep thinking that weathermen are all-knowing seers who can predict a storm path to the very minute and square foot. We believe that All-Wheel-Drive means we’re invincible and can ignore all road conditions. And we think that our lives are so busy and important that we can’t be inconvenienced, even a bit, to just let nature do it’s thing.

Fellow Minnesotans, let’s try, just this once, to remember what winter here is like, why we respect it, and why it’s an important part of what makes us who we are. Tough, bold, and hearty.