The weather and time are two phenomena that we often remark on and complain about – but have little to no control over their occurrence. At best we can but manage our responses to their presence. Of the two, the weather is the most physically pronounced. Today is a beautiful day: chilly but resplendent. Now if it were bitterly cold and wet with a raging snowstorm or a blowing typhoon, my emotions might be sorely tested. Further: there are those who actually complain when it is too cool or overly hot.
I, for one, can tolerate a chaleur that would wilt most people. Why I am asked when you come from a northern country? My response is that I have suffered most of my early life in an environment that was wet, white, and cool. I, thus, have earned the right to be warm. The other day in one of my classes, however; a young student was wearing a short-sleeved shirt. The temperature, all the while, was a brisk 9 °C in the classroom. He told me that he enjoys the crisp weather. One man’s pain is another man’s pleasure goes the old idiom – to each their own.
Time is also tellingly complex. Many people of senior years suffer as they approach their earthly demise: why? This is because they believe — they conclude, that they have not spent their time well. Though they may be financially wealthy, they do not feel successful, as curious as this may sound. Time, as we all know, is unforgiving. It will pass whether you are actively engaged with her or not. There is something comforting in all of this, though, isn’t there? What both the weather and time tell us is that we cannot control their unfolding. But we can manage our response.
If it is a wet and stormy day, I can still be so, so thankful to be conscious and alive. Furthermore, whether or I am 16 or 60, I can manage my response to time – to age. That said, we live in a time that disrespects agedness – most of this opprobrium earned by the elderly themselves. (1) In contemporary capitalism, there is an attempt to take your earned lucre and sequester yourself in a senior’s community far away from the machinations of society itself. (2) One does not have to adopt this approach as real in your personal life, nonetheless. We must learn to disregard the standard and nonsensical view of how we are physically placed in society. In this way, our thoughts on the weather and time will mature organically in the wonderful garden of life. The astronaut, senator, and adventurer, John Glenn, (3) leaves us with his thoughts: If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my years on this planet, it’s that the happiest and most fulfilled people are those who devoted themselves to something bigger and more profound than merely their own self-interest.
A closing thought: I recently watched an interview with Carl Jung on his reflections and insights of life. (4) It was an intimate and heartening conversation on his thoughts and ideas. He could perhaps be a mentor to us all — a life well-lived and yet still fraught with trials and tribulations that had to be overcome. Is this not the same for everyone? If we pick up the mantra of excitement at whatever age and view life as a great journey, an experiential voyage, that gives us the succor to conquer its travails, then we will lead a fulfilling and exciting life. If not, we must suffer what befalls those who are devoid of reflection. The choice, rather sadly in some cases, is simply up to each of us. I choose the former and so should we all, why not?
To sum up: This week we spoke about the weather and time and how each of us should contemplate an effective answer to their eventuality.
To be noted: From Elizabeth Forsythe Bailey (5) — Time is a cruel thief to rob us of our former selves. We lose as much to life as we do to death.
Just for fun: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSPuY-YLe-w&ab_channel=RichardChapel
For reflection: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tS9JwV763F8&ab_channel=HouseBarziniYTTV
This week on your reflective walk, please ponder the elements of the weather and time: how can they be managed?
Every day look for something magical and beautiful.
Quote: Today is a special day that will never come again – embrace her.
Footnotes:
1) https://medium.com/breakthrough/how-my-asian-canadian-upbringing-shaped-my-views-on-elder-respect-ffc25c53c659
2) https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/jan/14/some-kind-of-heaven-the-villages-florida-film
3) https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Glenn
4) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AMu-G51yTY&ab_channel=Ki
5) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Forsythe_Hailey