Why I love bad weather
Here in Seattle we’re waiting in the cold for the next snowstorm, due to arrive tomorrow night. It’s a bummer because it’s the last Saturday night before Christmas, and I for one was very excited about a holiday party, a traditional bash thrown by friends of mine, and now sadly the party has been cancelled. Why couldn’t the storm come late on Monday night instead?
But I do love bad weather, or I should say mid-week bad weather. It does things that need to be done. It shakes up our lives. It reminds us that we are small, finite beings. It reminds us that our work schedules are not as important as we think they are. It calls out the fun-loving child in all of us. It shows us nature’s breathtaking–and sometimes frightening–beauty.
One more caveat, though: I am definitely not a fan of Hurricane Katrina and the deadly destruction it left in its wake. I am even more outraged by the failure of our government to protect and rescue so many of our fellow citizens.
But if it’s a snowstorm in Seattle, I’m all for it. The Charlie Brown song has it right: “Snowflakes in the air, beauty everywhere…” So even though this latest spell of bad weather forced me to reschedule appointments and wait another year for one of my favorite parties, it did a lot of good things for me. It reminded me that I am small, and that the beauty of the world is huge. And it gave me time that I don’t give myself, time to watch the weather channel, make oatmeal, pet the sleeping dogs, and take a nap.
May your new year be filled with storms like this!
