Friday, February 12, 2010

Another Snowy Day Ahead

 This little puppy is in heaven!

Snow is in the forecast for us once again. We're supposed to get 1 to 3 inches. Here, that's enough to slow things down and clean off the bread shelf at the grocery store. Southerners have no capacity to deal with snow - I know I'm repeating myself. They either drive to slow or too fast invariably strewing the highways with minor accidents. After a while you just give in and realize you're safer staying home even if you do know how to drive in the snow!

It makes me think of how much simpler things seemed when I was young and lived in the north. Snow was just a fact of life. The six years I lived in Maine as a kid I don't believe we had one snow day off from school. We walked to school - about a mile each way - regardless of the weather. Frost bite was not uncommon. Once my family landed in NY we had the occasional snow day but only the day of the storm and maybe the day after, then it was back to normal, snow and all. I don't remember once racing to the store to stock up on bread and milk. We didn't have the sense of panic that seems to be pervasive here and now.

I can't help but wonder if even such a simple thing as the weather and the now ever present stream of news with regard to it isn't just an added stress to an already stressful world. Sure it is nice to know well in advance when a hurricane is going to hit (although I can't say it did much good for New Orleans!) but generally speaking it does spare lives. But every day? every flake of snow? It's as much the newscasters tone of voice as what he/she says. That tone of alarm is pervasive on all news and weather channels these days, despite the actual seriousness of the situation. We are being driven into a constant state of panic just so the networks can raise their ratings.

When it snows tonight, I'm going to shut off the TV, put a log in the fireplace, pour a glass of wine...and just enjoy the peace and quiet of nature. Perhaps it's a higher power at work this winter trying to calm the masses.

4 comments:

Daddy Paul said...

At lest the snow is shallow enough for the dog to run in it. Here in Michigan it is 2+ feet deep and I do not see it melting anytime soon. The snow is up to the deer’s bellies.

Robinsgothealth.com said...

I am with you Dorothy, I do not watch the news, what a waste of precious time and leaves room for a stress free life.
My sister texted me just yesterday asking me if I was ok? To make sure I was not in a pile up on I-70, that she just witnessed on the news. I was home safe and did not even know there was a pile up on I-70! So nice to not follow the news...only Christ and the present moment for me!!!

Yours in Health, Robin

Robinsgothealth.com said...

Dorothy, I nominated you for a "beautiful blog" award! You can jump over to my blog to redeem or you can just know that you have a beautiful web site that I believe all need to read!

Yours in Health, Robin

Brenda Poulsen said...

Dorothy, that was wonderful. I love being out in the snow with my 2 dogs. I am from small town Saskatchewn born and raised. There was no panic because you could always find what you needed in the house to make bread and what ever. I agree that the media is only to stir the masses. When people are in a constant state of fear, they loose their power to think rationally. So I am putting on my boots and going out to make snow angels with my dogs. I LOVE WINTER! (BTW...this is the first winter in Denmark with so much snow in 13 or 14 years. How lucky am I !!) Tons of hugs to you...

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