Meditation for January 10th
The Gentrification of Weather
It is winter here in Portland, Oregon, and it has snowed three times, with more snow expected later this evening. We aren’t getting feet of snow; this isn’t a desert or tropical place where snow never happens at all, but just the touch of snow on Portland’s streets is the same as Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.
New Orleans is in hurricane territory. Portland is in an area where snow can occur. Both cities have invested in apparatuses that will hopefully help deal with snow and hurricanes, yet too much snow, like too much hurricane, is too much for the city to endure.
The immigrants from the upper Midwest and New England laugh at us for our inability to deal with our snow. You tout that life goes on in -23 degrees Fahrenheit and 13 feet of snow, while we close outside at half an inch.
The southerners, be it California, Texas, or Florida, can’t even handle it if it gets under 70 degrees, let alone if we don’t get a few days of sun. A southerner will contemplate suicide if we have seven days of sun but one day of rain.
Portland has some infrastructure for snow, but it is built to handle 399,000 people on a snow day. Since 2010, 40,000 people have moved to the land and immediately demanded the infrastructure of a large northeastern city.
If we aren’t dealing with snow snobs, we have to endure the endless onslaught of people complaining about the rainy, gray weather. Never mind that it is one of the mildest climates in the country; aside from the possibility of a large earthquake, Portland has zero natural disasters, but the weather is only discussed when it causes inconveniences, like when their favorite latte shop is closed in the snow.
The human being not only gained knowledge of right and wrong from the tree of life in Eden, but also gained the inability to ignore the weather. You say the exact thing to your dying relative about the possibility of snow as you do when you are buying Drano and condoms from the corner market. If it’s going to snow, it must be said. It is a greeting and a term of intimacy between two people.
We have built climate-controlled structures to shelter from the weather, yet our Nest-controlled devices show it is raining outside. We are perfectly comfortable in our climate-controlled environment, but feel like we are in prison when that perfection doesn’t extend to the outside.
People who have no business going outside bemoan the lack of sun and warmth as if they are suddenly avid outdoorsmen. Video games happen no matter what the weather is like, so why does it matter to the most dedicated basement dweller? I will see people staring at their phones on a warm beach in Rhode Island, and I can’t help but wonder: along with their umbrella, speaker, cooler, chairs, and all the other items for a beach-day comfort, why did they leave their house?
Here is what helps me. I like all the weather. It’s sunny and warm out, and I have things I like to do out there. It is cold and rainy out, so I have enjoyable stuff I want to do inside. Sleet, wind, thunder, and lightning are all things I enjoy experiencing. If it’s outdoor weather, I go outside. If it isn’t, I stay inside. If I do have to go out there during non-peak weather, I have clothes that protect me from the elements. Sometimes I enjoy being out in the wet cold.
My life is not over when it rains. Rain is more beautiful than the sun. The sun is trying to kill us with cancer and drying up our drinking water supply. We are 93 million miles away from the sun for a reason. We are less than a mile away from the genesis of a raindrop. We do need the sun to live, but we need water more.
Sometimes it is cold, and that raindrop becomes a snowflake. It does nothing but inconvenience you. Those who take our lives slow and purposeful don’t mind a little snow now and then.
Prayer
Thor,
I have an outdoor wedding in April,
A camping trip in May,
A marathon in June,
I have a family reunion barbecue in July,
A three-day music festival, totaling more than a thousand dollars, in August,
I have three different barbecues on Labor Day weekend,
I want to have an outdoor dance party in October,
And among other possible outdoor events,
I need to have perfect weather for those days.
And maybe also other times too,
Sometimes I like to sit outside when I go to restaurants.
Just do what you can,
Amen
Craft
Is the weather outside frightful? Read a book.
Goal
This is about acceptance, and maybe salting the roads when our potable drinking water is diminishing quickly isn’t a great idea.