Stormy Weather
It's funny, after 60 years I've finally see the pix –
These days of blowing snow, and ice, are all part of a mix
That makes up prairie life round here just north of 49
Now viewed as part of cycled life – stopped fighting as not mine.Till now I've tried to minimize its impact on my life,
Pretending that they're summer months with added load of strife;
They're not, nor are the summer months just winter without pain –
They each are equal parts of life, and thus have always been.So how do I ‘do winter’, living in the present tense –
Where black and white predominate, and color travels hence;
Accepting it as given –context of our present days,
Enjoying what it gives to us, embracing lively ways?The first to go is ‘attitude’– unneeded load to bear –
Stop griping and complaining like I do not like it there;
I would not talk like that in Costa Rica if I went,
So why would I begrudge my fate as if not heaven sent?So what does winter give to me that others do not get –
Who walk beneath umbrellas so to keep from getting wet,
Who swelter in the sun, or struggle with the shifting sands,
Dodge hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, and earthquakes in their lands?Why, safety – when we bundle up, with back-up heat, and cars;
Relationships – inside our homes, with family, friends of ours;
Good books – with time to read, and talk, and think about our times;
And music – song and dance – we give-and-take our cadenced rhymes.So winter is not something keeping us from half our time –
Like sleep, it's something in itself quite pleasant, quite sublime;
Like using rooms as they're designed brings out the best in home –
Engaging seasons of our lives cuts down the urge to roam.navigation