Snow is wasted on the north.

Down in Atlanta, when it snows, the world stops. Unless you’re driving (if you are, then God help you), you get a chance for a day to see your city in a whole new light.

Snowfall down here is like a holiday. Grown men and women start acting like kids again, and people out on the street walk around in a state of bemusement and wonder.

We don’t expect snow like this. So we act in unexpected (but delightful) ways.

I jokingly challenged a complete stranger on the street to a snowball fight. I thought she might just smile and move on. Instead, she smiled, then proceeded to nail me right in the face with an expertly lobbed ball of frozen mush.

You have to be careful what you wish for on a Southern snow day.

It really is like a new world when you go out your door. It certainly looks like one.

We (again, unless we’re driving) all of a sudden find ourselves forced into a snowy Sabbath. Everything shuts down. Schools close, people stay home from work, and all the timelines and deadlines racing in your head slow down.

The ground is coated in the world’s best superabundant sculpting material – snow. Everyone’s inner artist comes out, young and old. I found several snowmen, some decapitated snowpeople, and one  inappropriate snow stick figure (not pictured) while walking the Atlanta streets last night.

You know that feeling you get when you go to a new place? Usually you have to do the preparation, invest the time + money, and make a long journey to adventure to a new place. Only a few people can do it.

When a large snowfall comes where it isn’t expected, it’s like an adventure has been brought to you – and to everyone else around you – regardless of risk tolerance. You and all your neighbors are in uncharted territory, and it’s wonderful.