during the past few days here in st.louis there has been a lot of talk about the weather.
those of you who know me well, know that this drives me crazy.
i will say that when the weather is particularly extreme i understand the fascination with it. snow in May is certainly worthy of note. but if it's only cold in December then what's the cause for discussion? of all the things we could be talking about on earth you want to talk to me about something that is literally regular as rain.
and i know what you are thinking. "Myra, it's only small talk."
this is true. and i also know that i can small talk with the best of them. but i just feel that talking about the weather isn't the best someone has to offer. surely, even if it is only small talk, you have something more substantial to offer me in conversation. (and i won't even get into my thoughts on the "windchill factor".)
but on this occasion the talk about the weather struck me in an odd way. the big story the past few days. . .
fog.
thick fog, light fog, dense fog, visibility, humidity, dew point, mist, all of it. and i must admit it has been pretty creepy. it was so dark and foggy the other morning that i half expected a cat to start talking to me on the street. that's how eerie it was. but more than the creepiness of the fog mainly the conversation centers around how dangerous it is.
"the visibility is only 2 miles this morning." the weather man tells me on the early morning news. then there is an interview with a commuter. she talks about how much longer it's taking her to get to work because she has to drive so slowly. "everyone slows down because of the fog", she says, "i guess it's because nobody can see where they're going."
but maybe that isn't so bad. maybe not being able to see too far ahead is a good thing. i don't think of it as dangerous at all if it makes you slow down. how could going slower be dangerous?
one of my new years resolutions is to try and live more in the present moment. to slow down and embrace what my life looks like right now. and not try to get too far ahead of myself. in terms of weather i am decreasing visibility. (to be quite honest i think i see less than 2 miles ahead of myself these days.) but that's good! because i think that when that happens the things you can see, the things that are right in front of you, the tree on the corner, the stop sign, the neighbors car, you see those things so much clearer.
you're so much surer. so much more careful. you strive more for certainty in every step while crossing the street. in every 2 miles you drive. you work through the fog. and it's hard. but it forces you to really look at things. to study them carefully. to find solutions.
how do i get to work, safe, and on time without hitting anything or anyone???
fog is defined as a cloud that comes into contact with the ground.
i think that when the clouds in your life (the stresses) are up in the sky (or up in your head) just whipping by it's easy not to really deal with them. it's always easiest to run away from the clouds above and wait for the sun. but not when those clouds show up on the ground and stare you in the face. and you have to slow down. you have no choice. you have to look closer. you have to take your time. and you always end up being safer and more certain in the end. on the other side of fog.
decreased visibility. increased clarity.
but enough about the weather. . .
