Weathering Heights

From the desk of Teresa Jordan, Executive Director – It is just amazing to me how much difference a warm, sunny day makes to everyone’s mood.  This week spring will arrive on Sunday, but today the sun and warmth arrived and everything felt like spring. Snow melting, sunshine, mud, warmth, hot cars and no need for jackets. 

I heard a comment wondering how long it would take us Canadians to start complaining about the heat.  Its true discussing the weather is a national pastime. Discussing the forecast, possible challenges, the cold, the heat, the humidity, the dampness. It is a safe zone with people we don’t know well, it is a universal interest, and it affects everyone. 

When did we learn that? In infancy? It is just one of those rites of passage to know that one should never say, “Wow, how old are you?” but it is almost always safe to say – “How about this weather?” 

So much of what we know to be acceptable and how we interact we just picked up from others as we moved along in life. Lately I have been wondering about what I have picked up along the path that I could probably put down – the things that are part of how I grew up that cause me to be judgmental about differences, or short-sighted about the challenges of others, or not as empathetic as I could be when I don’t understand because I never faced that kind of weather. 

And I suppose people have the same challenge with me, not knowing what to say – they usually start with something like – “did you see the forecast?” We watch, we learn, we try our best and sometimes when storms loom, we need to just check in and see what lessons we can set aside for now because the weather is changing for us. 

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