Monday, May 2, 2022

Human vs. Weather

 Most of us never consider the weather unless it's in extremes. 

For the past week or so, it has rained several times. I always thought it a little strange I rarely encounter a person in this corner of the world who has heard the sayings, "April showers bring May flowers" and "March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb". Back home, these sayings were quoted when the weather had made itself known. Maybe that's the disadvantage of living in what's considered a desert region...everyone is too worried about summer to really care about the rest. I don't know. 

I spoke with a friend about it, and he thought it weird that rain made him feel more human. Doesn't rain and snow do that to everyone? How could it not? 

When the weather is relatively neutral...when it's not slapping us in the face with its presence, do we not feel the same way? Neutral? With social media and the limited interactions we have compared to yesteryears, is not natural we feel...indifferent when the weather is the same? 

But then...the weather makes itself known.

It rains or it snows, and suddenly our entire being is aware. All of the senses are awakened. Certain people even say they can smell the extremes coming before a weatherperson can even predict its chance of happening. 

The weather's extremes make people take the same when it comes to sides. Either they absolutely LOVE it or they absolutely HATE it. They either have some of their best memories or some of the worst memories burned into their mind associated with it. They use it to express the emotions we all feel because sometimes even the best of words cannot convey the same intensity as something we all have dealt with. 

Those that pretend these extremes don't..can't...affect them tend to be the worst off. These are the people that ignore the gray clouds looming overhead and become angry when their outfit is soaked. The people that get road rage when they don't check the weather report and are late to work because they had to spend 10 minutes scraping snow off the roof of their car. 

I sometimes think that with the modern mentality of hustling and being boss babes God gives us extremes to slow us down. Remind us that we are not meant to live like robots, constantly going, going, going. 

We all have tried it...pretending the weather can't stop us. Going on business as usual. But we can't. Either we have to reconsider our wardrobe, or suddenly go a few miles less than the intended speed limit. We have to glance away, even for a moment, from our phones and screens and take it in. We have to inhale just a little more deeply, our ears have to be a little sharper to our surroundings. 

For me, the weather in its extremes brings out the most feminine urges. I want to burrow deep inside my blankets and stare outside a window(or sit on the porch). I want to make slow, passionate love and fall into the best sleep I've had in a long time, embraced in my lover's arms.  I want to make savory, good-smelling foods that hit deep in the belly as well as the soul. I want to make a fire and for a moment forget there is a world outside my door, begging to remind me of my never-ending to-do list. I want to slowly drink a glass of wine(or a cup of coffee) and listen to jazz music. I want my babies snuggled around me like a mother hen with her chicks. 

Why? Because my senses are front and center. 

The blankets feel softer, lovemaking more loving, the food(and drink) richer, the fire warmer, the company more enjoyable. 

I have bad memories that have happened during extreme weather, too. And I felt those more strongly than I had during neutral weather times, the memory of them ingrained a little deeper. 

As I said, I, too, am human and have tried to pretend the weather couldn't affect me. It's only when I have forced myself to slow down, even when everything inside me was screaming "go, go GO!" that I learned to truly appreciate the gift of extreme weather. 

 The gift of weather reminds us that we have senses and we don't use them enough. 

The gift of weather reminds us we aren't invincible. 

The gift of weather...forcing us to slow down.

That we are indeed, human. 


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