Suburban Valkyrie

If you live in the Northeast or Mid-Atlantic states, it is likely snowing right now. Or maybe not.

Depending to which weather forecaster you listen, eastern Pennsylvania, where I live in the Philadelphia suburbs, is in line for anything from a little to a lot of snow.

Forecasts vary from outlet to outlet, and the storm in its intensity had not arrived north of Philadelphia, as of 9:30 p.m.

This has prompted an interesting social phenomenon; legions of people, posting on the Facebook and Twitter feeds of local weather forecasters, bemoaning the fact that this monster winter storm, #Blizzardof2015, has not materialized.

Bemoaning.

"I would like another 2 to 4 inches."

"When is this thing going to start?"

"I hope your forecast (predicting 9 - 22 inches of snow across southeast Pennsylvania) is accurate. I need a snow day."

I need a snow day. Said no poor person ever.

The only people who get snow days are the well-off. (I don't say rich, because I am not rich, yet I am included in this group.) The ones for whom this month's rent does not depend on whether their car starts or not.

For those of us who are part of the knowledge economy, location and time are mostly meaningless to the performance of our jobs. Whether we work from a work-share space in Philadelphia, an "executive" park in the suburbs or a home office makes no difference in the type of work we do. Different work locations may bring with them different conveniences or inconveniences, but the work itself goes on unaffected.

Not so the working poor.

While one woman is crossing her fingers and hoping for a snow day, a single mother a few miles away is watching the forecast with dread, hoping that #Snowmageddon2015 veers out over the Atlantic.

When you work in grocery stores, restaurants, retail shops, coffee joints and other typically low-paying service jobs, not being able to get into work at all isn't a fun day off. It's a day with no money coming in. It can mean the difference between your kids eating cereal for dinner at the end of the month or not eating at all.

Many people work for businesses upon which society depends. Hospitals don't close during a blizzard. Nursing homes don't tell employees to take the day off. As one acquaintance who was trying to arrange transportation to work for tomorrow said, "You can't just call out when you take care of dementia clients. They will continue to need 24/7 help, no matter what the weather is doing."

Extreme weather can be exciting - when you don't have to go out into it. Or when "going out" in it constitutes an hour or so with the kids on the nearest sledding hill.

But every time a storm like this comes our way, I'll be sparing a thought for those people who do have to be out in it - not because they're emergency responders or firefighters or emergency room doctors, all working to keep us safe - but because they can't afford to stay home.