It’s easy to understand those who make fun of the panic which arises every single year during the surprise outbreak of winter. You’d think most people had managed to grasp the concept of seasons, how the weather changes from rain to snow to fog to an occasional hint of sunshine. Sadly it doesn’t appear to be so, and thus we have a whole genre of fun-making.
I must admit, I do it myself. Every time when the shops have to close for one whole day, because of a public holiday which recurs every single year, I make fun of those who stockpile food and essentials. As if the shops weren’t going to open again!
Photo Source: Andrew Currie – Creative Commons
The same with weather. We can be reasonably sure that winter is going to reappear at much the same time year after year; that the weather is going to be either rain or snow; that spring will follow and, when we’re lucky, a warm summer. We can only be reasonably sure because, with climate change, things are not quite as settled as we might wish them to be. Snow in December, or even November, in northern Germany was once normal. Now we’re lucky if it snows mid-January.
In other parts of the world snowplows have been out and about, fighting their way through the mess so that everyone can get to work. People in London had a wonderful example of what it’s like struggling to get in to work recently, but not because of snow. A small strike by underground transport workers brought the usual stoic manners of the British out, and they still made it through.
So, this morning, when I noticed that a snowflake or two had fallen, but the sun was shining, I knew what to do. None of the panic, no rushing out to the shops to stock up on toiletries. I put on my warm mittens and my woolly hat, and brushed the snow from the sidewalk.
Just another day in white.
- Viktoria Michaelis.
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