Snow Day!

It’s going to snow today.  I don’t like that.  I’m not a big fan.  Being a Florida boy has ruined me to one significant thing.  In Florida, you never have to worry about slipping or sliding on ice or snow when you are walking, running or driving.  There is no such thing a black ice, or accumulated snowfall.  We have our fair share of rain to be sure.  But driving in a rainstorm is a lot different than driving over a surface that no longer wants to accept your tire tread.  So, being a Florida boy, I, for the most part, choose not to drive when it snows or is icy outside.  There are exceptions, but those are rare. 

What I do a lot of on snowy days is spend time thinking and writing?  This morning, as I was thinking about what to write about a thought hit me.  I know a lot of people that I have met throughout my time in the military community.  I know a lot from college.   I know a lot from high school and my childhood.  The truth is that I have met a lot of people in the course of my life, and not one of them is the same.  All of them have different characteristics and attitudes that make them who they are.  I can’t change them, nor should I expect to.  They aren’t going to change me. 

So, in thinking about the people I have met over the years, and the weather we are about to have, a thought popped in my head.   The people we meet are very much like the weather we experience.  No two people are alike, just like no two days are exactly the same.  Our visit with one person can quickly change when another person is added to the mix.  One minute we can be driving through the fog, while the next we can see clearly 2 miles down the road. 

The Weather People

Because this is how my brain works, I will prove to you that people are like the weather.  Just think about your daily life.  When you come across someone, are they like a ray of sunshine?  When your boss enters the room can you see the thunderclouds rolling in?  Is there a fog that follows an appearance by your crazy family member that just makes everything more confusing?  I propose that there are all of these things and many more.   So let’s see if we can describe them. 

Sunny and 75 – I think most would describe this as near perfect weather, and being Florida born and raised I would have to agree.  While there are no perfect people in this world, there are those that just brighten up a room whenever they walk into it.  They are almost always positive.  They always have a kind word, and never seem to get angry.  They are the people we look too when we are feeling a bit down, because we know they will be able to cheer us up.

Partly or Mostly Cloudy – I don’t mind partly cloudy or even mostly cloudy weather when I am spending a lot of time outside golfing or doing some other activity.  However, it’s sometimes hard to judge how the day is going to turn out because of the clouds.  Is it going to rain, or not?  Are the clouds going to make it too dark to do things?  There are people in life like that too.  You don’t mind being around them, but at the same time they could possibly make life a little harder to predict. 

Rain – This is one of those weather systems that can go either way depending on your mood.  Sometimes a soft rain early in the morning or in the afternoon can paint a beautiful picture of life.  After all it is a necessity for survival.  There are times however when even the smallest amount of rain can ruin whatever day you had planned.  Some people have that knack as well.  You want to see them at certain times, but at others you just hope they stay away.

Thunder and Lightning - They scare the crap out of you, are totally random and have no pattern that make any sense.  If you get too close it will make all your hair stand on end, or could hurt.  There is no one in your life like that now is there?  If they get to Hurricane status….WATCH OUT!!!

Wind - A small breeze is fine.  It can be cooling and soothing.   There are a lot of people that are like that as well.  The gently disrupt your life with a simple touch or a small act of kindness.  Then there are those that whip you around like a tornado, and toss you aside much the same way.  They make the straight path curve, and the clean path littered. 

Fog – Fog is made to confuse, because it can take a path we have travelled a thousand times and make it as unclear as a maze.  What was suddenly sure, isn’t and obstacles that were never there before can come out of nowhere.  These are the people that cause drama.  You know them, I know them and if you don’t know them, think about what that could mean!!!

Snow – Snow is beautiful.  There is no two ways about it.  When it is falling it just looks as if it is flowing in a cascade of peacefulness.  When it completely covers the ground it looks as if it has washed the earth in purity.  It can cause feelings of serenity and excitement.  Kids and adults alike love it because of the play land possibilities.   I equate it to my favorite aunts and uncles.  That one time of year when they visited, and we would get to do special things like going to an amusement park or eating at a fancy restaurant.

Snow, Day 2 – Then it overstays its welcome.  It gets dirty, messy and turns your yard into a wetland.  Then when the night comes and temperatures freeze, the beautiful snow turns to ice.  It becomes a danger to drive on.  The piles of shoveled powder turn to blocks of dirty ice and even the snowman starts to wonder why he is still alive.  Think about that in terms of people who are in your life and you have no idea how they have hung around as long as they have.  But, you deal because you really don’t have a choice, except to wait until it melts away.

Hot and Humid – The miserable weather that is 100 degrees with 100% humidity is something us Florida folks know a lot about.  It comes on days when we know better than to leave the house, because even a walk to the mailbox causes excess sweat to permeate your pores.  That uncomfortable feeling gets into every crevice of your skin causing you to want nothing more than the sweet relief of anything cold.  There are people in your life like this too.  They make you squirm.  They make you desire sweet relief in any form.  They drive you to drink something cold and wet, and usually alcoholic. 

It’s Real Life

There are a lot more weather patterns that I could use to describe the people in our lives, but I think you get the point.  That and it’s about to start snowing here, and I need to go stock up on groceries before I am locked away in my house for a week.  My point is that throughout our days on planet earth we are going to have to put with a lot of different treats that Mother Nature has in store for us.  There are going to be storms that knock out our electricity and cable.  There are going to be snow days and hurricane days and other days when parents are going to have to stay home from work with the kids.  There are going to be times when our cars will get stuck in a foot of something that we most likely will have to use a shovel on to get out of.

Why?  Because it’s life.  It is, for the most part, unpredictable and unreliable.  Your knowledge of how to deal with weather events doesn’t make them any less likely to affect your life.  Snow is going to fall.  Clouds are going to roll through.  Rain is going to wash away your flower garden. 

The people you meet along the way are unpredictable as well.  No two are going to be the same, no matter how hard you try to surround yourself with your version of the “right” people.  It’s a part of life that we have to interact with someone through out our day that isn’t Sunny and 75.  They could be having a bad day and be in a rut.  In my experience most people don’t go out their front door in the morning with the intent of raining down pain and hurt on anyone.  They just have become who they are and don’t know they are the thunderstorms in some peoples’ lives. 

Here’s another thing.  Each person views the weather differently.  Some people love the cold and the snow.  They can’t stand Sunny and 75. (Who are these people, I have no idea.)  Some are one weather pattern one day, but due to whatever is going on in their lives can be rainy and windy the next.  You just never know, but you roll with it because like I said, that’s life. 

As for me, I think I am a bit partly cloudy/mostly sunny with a side of abrasive wind in your face.  Maybe others would describe me a little different, but for the most party I try and stay positive.  I know I’m not the person that brightens up a room, but hey, I married one of those so at least I come with it most of the time.  It’s a hard life living in good weather conditions. 

So, now I go, preparing for the snow.  Preparing to deal with the peaceful afternoon of snowfall that will turn into a night of trying to safely drive to work without slipping and sliding all over the road.  Off I go to deal with people working, where they are probably in cloudy moods, maybe some raining hard because their kid is home alone on this snow day.  You just never know. 

No matter what though, I will deal.  I will ride out whatever storm of weather or people I come across and in any case I will try and help others make it through as well.  No one likes getting stuck in the snow, ice, mud or rain.  And together I think we can make it Sunny and comfortable, whatever the weather.