The late November wind blew through my yard like a hurricane blitzes through a tropical region. No stopping it nor slowing it down. They both blow ‘till they run themselves out of energy.
In the meantime, I must steady myself as I tend to yard work in preparation for Winter’s fury…more wind plus freezing temps. How I hate that combination. I like snow. I don’t mind the cold but put the wind behind them and I absolutely can’t tolerate that duo of freezing temps and wind.
Some folk never experience what I just described while others live it much of the year. The later either like it, adapt to it or simply don’t know anything else but the Winter Winds. How they endure it I really don’t know. Yet, many thrive regardless of the harsh conditions.
I suppose those fine people in the rain forest don’t mind the sweltering heat and humidity along with the insects and snakes and predators. Adaptation seems to be the order of survival regardless of the circumstances. Besides, what else do they know?
Fast forward to areas with urban, suburban and country settings. Each assemblage have their own survival skills. Most of these skills are taught or simply learned by trial and error to stay alive. They are not so far apart from the Amazonian and the Arctic peoples of Planet Earth. They just live within a different set of circumstances. A bit more moderate, perhaps.
Along with geographical differences come traditional differences, as well. What may seem odd to one group of folks is normal to another and vice versa. Diversity among the human race is one of God’s crowning achievements, similar to the animal kingdom. Yet, ignorance often breeds contempt and misunderstanding which is sad. Rather than go off on a tangent about the negatives, I choose to celebrate the glorious and positive variety among God’s creatures. I’m so glad these differences exist…it would be rather boring if they didn’t.
For those in the parts of our world where the sun doesn’t shine so much, bundle up, as this winter seems to be starting off on the colder side of the thermometer. Cheers!
Ever hurt so badly that even the pain of hurting someone you love more than life itself, and which pain was caused by self, becomes a numbing sensation? Like the chiseled wooden man on the bench, he feels nothing…or so it appears. Man knows pain, and fear, sorrow and regret. Does this sculpture feel any of those emotions? It appears not, but at some point in time someone put the ax to him, and then the chisel. What was once a tree now sits a man. Was the metamorphosis painful? Only the wooded man knows. I know the numbness of my pain as I have chiseled away at the lives of others. Maybe you know this pain, too. One thing I have learned in life is this: tears come in the night, but rejoicing returns in the morning. I long for morning because some nights last a long time.
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