The northeastern United States is about to get some record-breaking snowfall, which can mean a lot of different things — that it's time to salt your front walkway; that it's time to cancel all of your appointments for the week; that it's time to take a panicked trip to the supermarket and buy everything that's left (one egg, one can of pumpkin pie filling, seventeen boxes of baking soda) — but for people who consider themselves introverts, this impending snowstorm is a special holiday all its own. Because when you're the kind of person who is stressed out by small talk and large crowds; the kind of person who has been dismissed as "too intense" by every ex you've ever had; the kind of person who is constantly seeking a room (or, in a pinch, a supply closet) of one's own, a snow day provides a chance to live your Best Life Now, Oprah-style. It means a reprieve from chitchat about weekend plans with random strangers in your work elevator; a break from coworkers thinking you're grouchy when you're really just lost in thought; a day off not from work, but from the constant overwhelming stimulus that life in the outside world sometimes creates.
So if you're an introvert, read on for the nine reasons that this snow day just might be your favorite day of the season. Okay, maybe go to the store and buy that last can of pumpkin pie filling, and then come back and read this list. Even introverts who have been waiting years for a snow day need to have their priorities straight.
You Don't Have to See Anyone You Don't Feel Like Seeing
Not your neighbors, not people you know from the gym, not that one overly-friendly barista with whom you feel locked into an awkward and inescapable small-talk relationship. Retreating into the cocoon of your home for the day, you get to recharge your social batteries, free from distracting and energy-sucking guest appearances from folks you aren't crazy about.
You Can Work Better Outside Of The Office
Though many introverts are incredibly hard workers, sometimes, offices are introvert Kryptonite. The frequent interruptions, the constant personal interactions, the sudden loud noises that turn out to be a few people in Accounting laughing at a YouTube video of a cat falling down; it can all mess with your focus. With those distractions out of the picture, you're free to really concentrate — and if you happen to be able to do it while not wearing pants, well, all the better.
All Social Plans Are Cancelled
Usually, you have to dodge and weave to get out of plans when you feel socially overloaded during the week, but right now, the social plans are actually canceling themselves! Birthday parties you weren't eager to attend and a friend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend's stand-up comedy shows scheduled for this week are disappearing into the ether, as if they were made of clouds. It's kind of like that one reoccurring dream you have, except it's actually happening. Is this real life?
You Have A Convenient Excuse For Not Answering Emails
Why haven't you been replying to Mom and Dad's snow pun email forwards? "My Internet went out." Who's gonna know? No one, if you remember to set your Spotify to "private." Don't let this perfect day be ruined by you getting sloppy with Mariah Carey's Butterfly.
You Get To Enjoy The Sound Of Silence
Hear that glorious sound? It's the sound of no cars honking outside, no people having super-loud conversations right under your window, no fast and furious persons revving up their cars like they're getting ready to Tokyo Drift right down the middle of your street. It's like like the universe has given you a magical set of ear plugs.
You'll Have No Random Drop-In Visitors
Even friends you love are not always welcome to darken your door "just because they were in the neighborhood." And no, telling them you aren't thrilled to see them because you were "in the middle of something" doesn't automatically mean that you were masturbating (that's only it, like, 40 percent of the time). But during this stormy day, if you have any human interaction, it will be planned long in advance, giving you plenty of time to warm up your small talk muscles, practice smiling in the mirror, etc.
You're Free To Do Things The Way You Want To Do Them
With no watchful eyes upon you, you're free to spend your day in the way that makes you feel the most comfortable and provides you with the most emotional sustenance — not the way that everyone else thinks that you should. And if that involves Snuggies and night cheese, well, more power to ya.
You Have Uninterrupted Time to Think
All those regular-day interruptions that drag you away from whatever you were meditating upon (potential cures for cancer; plans for your novel; those pictures from a few years back where you could see Jon Hamm's penis through his pants) are nowhere to be found today. On this very special snow day, you can get lost in thoughts, and nearly nothing can disturb you (except, perhaps, the sweet siren song of more night cheese).
No One Will Make You Feel Weird For Spending The Day Alone
A life that necessitates a lot of alone time is a life that gets a lot of scrutiny from others. Lots of people who care about you want to know why you're alone; if you're okay with being alone; if you're really okay with being alone or just putting on a brave face; and if you really are okay with being alone, what, for the love of God, is your deal? But this precious gift of a snow day leaves you free from such questions, at least for now. You get to spend it as quietly as you like, in the company of only yourself if you so choose.
And don't worry — everyone will be ready to ask you if you were okay spending the snow day alone once you get back to work. And maybe, since you'll have recharged your batteries with all that alone time, you'll be totally game to have a conversation about it.
Images: MTV Networks, Giphy (10)
