Blog 805 – 10.25.2017

Winter Is Coming

In the long running and quite popular HBO series, The Game Of Thrones, early on and throughout has been the dire warning, “Winter Is Coming.” I believe that winter like rain has gotten a bad rap. Winter in TGOT has a special fearful meaning but real winter is a wonderful time if we just have the proper frame of mind to see it. My beloved mother and in fact many of the women I have met in this life do not care for winter much. It is at least possible that because I was so obsessed with trying my level best to make my Mama happy that I draw to myself that personality over and over so I can try an fail again and again. I do think that I have finally learned that there is only one person that I can make happy in this life and that is me. Happy people are fun to be around and draw other happy people to them. Unhappy people have to come to the realization that we are each one responsible for our own happiness. And to paraphrase a scripture, we must each work out our own “happiness” with determination and dedication. I happen to think that “fear and trembling” serve no useful purpose in any worthy pursuit. But back to my point about winter.

The coming of winter need not be something that we approach with fear, trembling, or loathing. And, yes, ladies I know the daylight hours are fewer and the temperatures are cooler. All but the evergreen trees after briefly donning their luxurious autumn parties dresses are bare and naked till covered with snow and icicles like white fur and diamonds. Winter can be a virtual wonderland of beauty comparable to the other three seasons in loveliness and variety. I love winter, coats, boots, hats and brisk walks but especially snow. When those delicate diamond crystals do their winter dance I am five years old again and in awe. Edible diamonds drifting all about, makes the child in me always want to run to the window and shout, “It’s snowing.”

I remember a beloved preacher friend saying on more than one occasion when talking about many people’s fear of death, “You can’t threaten me with heaven.” That is exactly how I feel about winter. I look forward to it so much, “You cannot threaten me with snow.” There is a great transformation in the funny movie Groundhog Day with Bill Murray. Bill’s character is a jaded weatherman doomed to relive Groundhog Day over and over till he realizes winter is not only “not so bad” but can be quite wonderful, the difference being our own attitude not the latitude as the beer commercial would have us believe. Oh, drinks on a sandy tropical beach can be nice but this snow bunny prefers a long bracing winter following a gorgeous fall and preceding a bright new bursting forth in spring. Summer is nice too so long as it’s short and not too hot. If we don’t get a handle on this global warming thing I might have to apply for year round employment at Santa’s Workshop, address North Pole.

Your friend and fellow traveler,

Saying, “We’ve got to get behind Winter.”

David White