Blog
It’s nice we have the weather to talk about …
by Betsy Sobiech
July 20, 2011
During my college years I worked with at-risk high school students in rural Missouri. Part of my job was driving a large state van on winding roads from school to school, providing tutoring. I worked closely with Vidya, a fellow student who found his way to the Midwest from Sri Lanka. One wintry morning complete with winds, ice, and snow, we were listening for school closings and trying to determine if we would travel our typical route, when Vidya commented, “I see.”
“See what?”
“The importance of the weather.”
He went on to share with me that in Sri Lanka it is 70 degrees (Fahrenheit) practically every day. Yet in English class, some of the first phrases young children learn include:
“How is the weather?”
“It is cold.”
“It is hot.”
“It is raining.”
They used to laugh at Americans, thinking how silly it was to learn so many words about the weather when the weather was always the same. Then Vidya moved to a place where every morning the first question on his mind was “How is the weather?”
In Chicago we talk about how hot it is. We talk about how cold it is. We talk about if the weather is the same as it was last year. We wonder if the weather will be the same next week. At times I can get irritated at the banality and repetitiveness of this conversation. Until I remind myself of a couple of things.
First, this conversation has been passed down to us over generations originating from times when the weather was of utmost importance. It impacted harvests, transportation, and more.
Second, it is unique — to a certain extent. Those of us who live in the Midwest get to talk about the weather because we live a place where it changes daily and with the seasons. It’s a cultural phenomenon to be embraced.
Third, it provides us introverts a way to warm up to others. There’s always this topic, the opening phrase, “How’s the weather?” We can then move into intentional business conversations or deeper exchanges about life and it’s mysteries. But we need a place to start.
This month Tiara is practicing acceptance. For me, a simple practice will be to accept the weather in it’s entirety. It will also be to embrace these cultural exchanges about the weather with the appreciation that I bring to my grandma’s homemade coffee cake.
What can you accept this month, either about yourself or your life, to create an opening for more joy, peace, and gratitude?