From The Storyteller
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Hello All: This week's story focuses on the connection between Mother Nature and our feelings. Enjoy, Doug
Frogs “Did you hear the tree frogs last night”, Elaine to me first thing in the morning as I’m waking up. “They were so loud they woke me up several times.” Me, “No.” I’m not surprised by her comment because she really enjoys listening to frogs singing. I think her love of that sound came from growing up in the dry winds of West Texas, where frogs and wet weather are closely connected. To her, “hoping” for rain and “hoping” for frogs was just about the same thing. This naturally caused me to think about why I never felt my high school football games were enjoyable. I suspect the key to my feelings were rooted in the weather, because I just never found watching the games in 15 degrees, with a cold wind blowing off Lake Michigan, to be pleasant. And this brings me to consider how weather impacts our feelings and actions. Snow in South Texas closes schools and creates a party attitude. Snow on the Colorado ski slopes brings smiles to the faces of the local business owners, and snow in Chicago is just a part of life people accept. Farmers “hope” for weather that includes rain, but not too much and not at the wrong time. Sailors “hope” for wind, but again not too much and from the right direction. People who work outdoors have weather “hopes” that often are very different from the people on vacation. And this brings me to our nightly TV weather folks, and the conclusion they should be considered TV evangelists. After all, when their viewers have just listened to a weather report they were “hoping” not to hear, many of them feel the need to start praying - (e.g. Please God don’t make it rain!) Moral: Weather’s connection to how we feel is always personal. Click here for the YouTube video. |