Winter's Bluster

Everyone awaits the arrival of the first snowfall of winter, whether in dread or excitement. Weather forecasters were touting a winter storm so most schools and even some offices closed in anticipation. Early morning unfolded itself with bright gray skies and negligible precipitation. Was this storm going to be another bust?

Our first snowfall arrived mid-morning starting with scattered flakes no bigger than dust motes. Eventually these grew to a significant enough size to form a passing white-out over time. We watched from the safety and warmth of the local Starbucks. When the bluster passed, I stepped outside to snap this picture. Nothing much to show for all the ruckus this storm caused. Then the storm shifted. The temperatures kept the snow on the ground while the snow flurries turned to rain. Everything got coated with a layer of crunchy, slippery ice. Ah.... this was what we'd been waiting for.

As I watched the storm front roll through, I thought how like us winter's bluster was. We put out signals to our friends, family, co-workers and acquaintances. Each person reads those signals differently. Some will see the approaching mood, our version of a storm, as dangerous and immediate. Others will recognize that it might bring some danger, but mostly it will blow over. Still others will call it a slippery, sliding place and steer carefully and clearly around it. The bluster that comes during the storm front of our moods occasionally shakes us and those around us into a new form of actions. Yet those who know us best, who have spent time with our moods, will weather them all in the best possible way.

Not all moods are negative, just as not all storms are bad. Whatever mood shows up ~ from excitement to playfulness to sullenness to anger ~ is part of the bluster that makes each of us human. We feel and we express those feelings in our moods. It's healthy, as much part of our nature as a wintry snowstorm is part of the Earth's nature. As with those wintry flashes, damages sometimes occur. We need to work together to repair those damages between people as diligently as we work to repair damages caused by ice and snow.

How do your storms show up? Can you predict their direction? What do you do when they reveal themselves? How do you assist in repairing the damage when damage arrives? Who can you count on to help you? What moods have shown up most recently in your life?