A snowstorm. In Michigan. In January…from the perspective of Nathan C. Hood I

Ya gotta love what storms do to us in the modern age. In the back of my mind, I wonder if those who came before us are rolling over in their graves.

Thanks to our virtual connectivity, social media, and so many means of communication, things become bigger than life. Take for instance a snowstorm. In Michigan. In January.

Meteorologists and news outlets want to be first to the party. And then want to get your attention. Plus, they can’t downplay it and have it be worse than forecast. So talk it up. No…REALLY talk it up.

That hits Twitter, Facebook and social media. Cool words are developed like “Snowmageddon” and “Snowpocalypse”.

Bam. And then it goes crazy.

I’ll give credit where credit is due. The weather experts nailed this one. So kudos to them.

But I want to talk about “PANIC IN MICHIGAN” and what just happened. No, really. What just happened? Here's a quick rundown:

Monday and Tuesday: Forecast of snow for Thursday, but rumors of a bigger storm behind it surface. The storm was brewing. The storm appeared likely to hit. Be prepared, they say. People tweeted and commented.

Wednesday: The storm is coming. We can see it on the radar…and it’s going to get crazy cold after! Be prepared and be careful, they say. People tweeted and commented.

Thursday: First storm hits, dumping several inches on the ground. Most seem to handle it okay, though the fact that the snow isn’t completely off the roads within hours frustrates many people. Why didn’t they cancel school? They should cancel school for the next week. Why didn't they preemptively cancel school? Why weren't they prepared? The big storm is coming! Be prepared, they tell us. People tweeted and commented.

Friday: Cleanup of storm #1 continues. It wasn’t quick enough or complete enough for many. “That’s my tax dollars at work.” How will we ever handle “Snowpacalypse”? Be prepared, they tell us. People tweeted and commented.

Saturday: The storm is nearly here. PANIC IN MICHIGAN! I have to be prepared! Who knew Snowmageddon was coming? I NEED FOOD! I NEED WATER! I NEED….BEER! I need bananas! I need chips. Gone? Curse you, fellow human being and similarly panicked individual! Clear the roads now! The snow is coming! The snow is coming! I see a snow flake… We’re going to get over a foot of snow! Be prepared, they tell us. How can I be prepared if it’s all gone? People panicked. People tweeted and commented.

Saturday evening and Sunday: The storm is here. PANIC IN MICHIGAN! Why aren’t the roads cleared? Why are they driving so slowly? Why are they driving so fast? Act like you’ve seen snow before…both of you. I had to shovel 6 inches of snow….TWICE! No…three times! How much snow did you get? 9 inches? That’s all? We got 10 here. You couldn’t get out of your driveway? I couldn’t get out of my subdivision? Have you ever seen SOOOOOOOOOOOOO much snow. Where are we, Siberia!? Global warming? Sorry, Climate change? People tweeted and commented.

Monday: Man, it's sooo cold. What is a polar vortex? That's cool. Too bad it's so cold. I want to go play in the snow! Don't drive. It's icy. Be careful. 

That was just my perspective of the world this past week. I found it humorous.

For those keeping track at home: 

Snow = panic

Record low temps = be nice to people

Now if we take the panic out of the equation. If we remove the hype, the drama, and the need to say it bigger, better, and sooner than anyone else. If we get rid of the need to be first, funnest (not a real word, I know), and funniest and if we take out the anger and hyperbole, what really happened?

We had a snowstorm. In Michigan. In January.

About a foot of snow fell in most places. Others had a foot and a half. Sounds like a lot. But really, it’s just a ruler or half a yard stick of snow. It’s not even past the knees of most people.

It really only took a day or so to clear most main roads. Considering how much fell in a short time in the area, that’s not bad at all.

We had a snowstorm. In Michigan. In January.

The kids got a couple snow days. Just like we used to. Bonus time with our kids!

We had to slow down, stay in, stay warm, crawl under a blanket, drink hot chocolate, and look out our windows at something we haven’t seen in a while.

A snowstorm. In Michigan. In January.

I guess we all see the world through our own eyes and circumstances. But it was kind of disheartening to see us Michiganians treating this storm as our own natural disaster.

Honestly, was hoarding food necessary? Did people really not have enough food and water to last 24-48 hours?

If I acquiesce on the food question because maybe the storm hit people at the wrong time, did people really not have water? For 48 hours? When most of this area has city water or a running well?

I understood having to fill up gas tanks. But even those lines weren’t as ridiculous as the lines at supermarkets.

I understand the concern over the extreme temperatures. It is dangerous, and we should stay inside unless we truly have to go out. It's probably more dangerous than the snow that fell.

But I don’t know if I’ll ever understand how we reacted to the snow. It’s sad really.

It’s the Social Media age.

And it was only a snowstorm. In Michigan. In January.