People went to bed on Monday night with thoughts of doom and gloom, after listening to most news stations reporting on the blizzard that would be bearing down on the northeast section of the United States during the night, lasting through the day on Tuesday, and into Wednesday morning.

The Boothbay Harbor Hannaford supermarket was teeming with customers in search of water and other necessities on Monday, but Associate Relations Manager Evelyn Andrews said no one seemed particularly nervous about the coming storm.

“People were smart and shopped early. We were in great shape and didn’t run out of anything,” she said.

The store opened today (Tuesday), with around 10 employees, mostly locals who could walk to work, or drive the short distance. Andrews said customers have been mostly service people like road crews.

“There have been no problems so far. People are staying home, which is good.”

Judging by the lack of traffic on the roads in Edgecomb, other than the occasional snowplow, it did appear that people were, for the most part, staying home.

Edgecomb Fire Chief Roy Potter said he thought people were being smart.

“People are heeding the warnings and staying off the roads. We have not had any calls as of yet.”

Potter said that when he showed up at his other job as maintenance worker at St. Andrews this morning, he was (kindly) told to go back to Edgecomb, where he may be needed for more important things.

“Where this is such a bad storm, they said they had enough people there to cover, and that I should stay at the Edgecomb Fire Station.”

As he was driving back down Route 27, Potter said the only other vehicle he saw was a pickup with a plow. It surprised him.

“It passed me,” he said. “If you see a pickup truck bearing down on you, stop and wave it on by.”

On the bright side, with the majority staying in the warmth and safety of their homes, a blizzard can be a source of relaxation and relief from some of the daily chores and pressures we ordinarily assert upon ourselves.

For many of us, alarms didn’t wake us out of a deep sleep in the early hours, because we knew that our places of work would be closed due to the storm. We had the luxury of a little more sleep, or getting up and being lazy, instead of rushing around feeding pets, getting kids dressed, preparing quick breakfasts, and going through the routines of a usual work day.

We could choose to sit on couches and watch local news stations reporting on the dark, bleak hazards of the blizzard (over and over), or have a leisurely breakfast while looking out a window and making our own assessments of the weather.

For all the negative aspects of a blizzard in Maine, there is much to be positive about: A warm house protecting us from the raging icy winds and blowing snow outside; heat and light (fingers crossed); no reason worthy of venturing out anywhere requiring a car; food that most of us stocked up on in anticipation of the snow; and happy kids and pets, because we’re home with them.

And then there’s the majestic awesomeness of the world outside. Separated from the rages of nature by a mere pane of glass (hopefully thermopane), we can sit in our warm houses, feeling smug, and watch birds of all sizes and species at a bird feeder, while the snow swirls crazily.

It is breathtaking.