| Baby, It Was Cold Outside – But That’s OK |
| Tuesday, 19 January 2010 21:46 | |||
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January 11, 2010. As if to give us another test, Mother Nature ushered in the New Year on a blanket of some of the coldest weather we’ve experienced for at least a decade, if not longer. Although it seems finally to have come to a close, it was tough to take for some of us.
Maybe it’s another sign of maturity, and although I detest a deep freeze cold as much as the next person, it doesn’t bother me like it used to. Of all the years past, the most ferocious winters I can recall (in the Midwest and East at any rate) were those that ended 1977 and 1978. When the arctic air flowed south and hit us during those two winters, it was much worse and a longer duration than the one we just experienced – and I remember being cold and depressed during much of that time three decades ago. 1977 was also the winter when ABC unveiled one of the most successful mini-series of all time, Alex Haley’s Roots. It was an excellent production – well-written, with superb performances by a number of actors – but one reason it did so well was because of the cold weather blanketing the nation at the time of its release. With everyone huddled together in their homes to keep warm, watching Roots was not only provided us with one of the greats, it was a diversion. A couple of hours each night over a period of eight days helped keep our minds off how cold we were. As I recall, most of the cold weather in those years occurred between mid-December and mid-January. When it finally broke, and temps returned to normal, the remainder of the winter was fairly mild. Perhaps that phenomenon will repeat itself in 2010. Let’s hope. If you are at all a student of history, being cold will remind you of what our founding fathers and those who opened up the western two-thirds of this country must have endured. Although making a mistake, being involved in an accident or becoming a victim of the vagaries of winter weather can be life-threatening, we are hardwired to survive in the most horrible of conditions. Our forefathers did just that, paving a more comfortable way for us who came after. As a result, today most of us do pretty well keeping our tootsies cozy and warm (with the aid of technology.) Being able to resist and play against what the weather throws at us should also serve as another life lesson on what it means to live life to the fullest, and to stand up to what it throws at you. Considering what it was like 50, 100, 150 years ago and more – and while it’s disconcerting, not to mention expensive to endure too-cold weather these days, we’re pretty lucky. I’ve come to the conclusion that the reason adversely cold weather doesn’t bother me as it once did is that I’ve become more philosophical about what life brings. But my physical reaction has also been affected by the fact that I quit smoking in January 1978; as a result, today the nerve ends in my feet, nose, hands and ears are less sensitive to winter’s harsh winds. Most of us began this month with the hope that 2010 will mark a positive turning point, with the good things outnumbering the bad by a growing margin. I’m confident we still feel that way; this weather setback was just a reminder to stay alert, and know that whatever happens, we can live through it, to better times, and nicer weather. Happy New Year. And I mean that, in every sense of word.
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