Last weekend, we moved our clocks forward an hour for Daylight Savings Time. We had to “spring forward” in time, whether our bodies and circadian rhythms were ready to lose an hour of sleep or not.
This Thursday is the Spring equinox. From then, our days will continue to grow longer through the longest day of the year, the summer solstice.
Daylight Savings Time is a human invention; the Spring equinox is a natural phenomenon. Both occur every March.
There are some things we can reasonably expect. There are other things we cannot. It goes along with “Knowing and not knowing.”
We had a few springlike days here recently. With mild temperatures in the 50s and even into the 60s, it felt like a heat wave. How nice it was…to walk out the door without a parka, hat, and gloves, to take a leisurely walk by the river and feel the warm sun on my skin, and to run by the lake without the requisite four layers.
And then this morning, it snowed. Quite a lot, actually.
Expect the unexpected. To be fair, these swings in weather are very typical for Wisconsin. Much of the snow had melted by the afternoon, although our yards are still covered tonight with a thin coat of white.
As I thought of all this, I vaguely remembered a saying about “making your own weather.” So I looked it up:
“Each of us makes his own weather, determines the color of the skies in the emotional universe which he inhabits.”
This line of thinking also reminded me of the song “Dig a Little Deeper” from the Disney Movie The Princess and the Frog. Here are some of the lyrics:
Dig down deep inside yourself
You'll find out what you need
Blue skies and sunshine
GuaranteedOpen up the window
Let in the light, dearieBlue skies and sunshine
Blue skies and sunshine
Blue skies and sunshine
Guaranteed
I love that movie. And the song! Singing along instantly cheers me up. It’s even on my running playlist. Give it a watch:
However, I admit that I’m not exactly the greatest at “making my own weather.”
I opened the bedroom curtains this morning, saw the snow, and cursed. That’s just one example of many from recent days.
It’s hard to make our own weather. And, yet, it can be so helpful.
That’s not to say that we should pretend that things are always okay or that it’s always “blue skies and sunshine.” This isn’t about denial.
Making our own weather isn’t about ignoring the bad stuff and hard times and challenges.
Making our own weather is about finding our comfort, community, joy, hope even in the midst of the bad stuff and hard times and challenges.
Or at least that’s how I’m trying to think of it right now with events, news, and situations that feel anything from disappointing to heavy to scary to uncertain.
I’m reminding myself to dig a little deeper and make my own weather in the ways that I can, so that I can keep on keeping on and do what I can to make things better.
With care and gratitude,
Mary
P.S. I want to thank my anonymous donor over on Buy Me a Coffee, who recently became a monthly supporter. I appreciate you!
P.P.S. I made a digital collage/slide show over on Instagram that incorporates some of the ideas from “Do the things” and touches on today’s themes too! Check it out:
I love the Dig a Little Deeper!! Great post, Mom! 🩷
Just finished reading The Book of Joy (Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu). Your message is in line with their message.