My Kind of Weather

Posted in Psychology on September 30, 2023 by foreverliketh.is ‐ 3 min read

Image Details & Source

a close up of a planet with a black background^֎ by Planet Volumes^֎ on Unsplash^֎

It is a 3D render^֎ of Jupiter^֎; and I mean to highlight its Great Red Spot^֎, the largest storm^֎ in our Solar System^֎.

This page was last modified: October 4th, 2023

Diamond in the Rough

There is an event commonly known as the Hundred Year Flood^֎. As its name implies, and in terms of the human lifespan^֎, it is quite rare. It is possible for you to live a long, fulfilling life without ever experiencing one, traveler. The Parcae^֎ had other plans for me, however; and my gratitude to them will persist until the day I die.

While I do not mean to celebrate the harm, deaths, tragedies, etc. that befall many who experience such events, their occurrence does contribute to the beauty that can be found. The silver lining^֎, so to speak.

For how else could Terra^֎ humble our hubris than through a small, yet awe-inspiring, display of Her power? How else could She restore a reverence more lost than ever before in human history? To interpret her demonstration solely as a misfortune is a disservice to the gift that it delivers… A reminder of what is truly important.

A clarity potent enough to make neighbors put aside their petty squabbles: “Why won’t your dogs shut up?!”, “Your tree keeps shedding leaves in MY POOL!”, “The division between our properties is HERE, NOT THERE!”

A cleansing intense enough to sever the Wired and break the masses free of its digital illusion. So free, that the pity is on the “fortunate” who managed to stay “connected”, because they cannot even fathom the prison they’re in, let alone being released from it.

I knew an old couple that sat many evenings out on their porch. Sometimes both, sometimes one. They’d sit longer into the night than seemed reasonable, as if they were waiting for something that never came. It wasn’t until after the disaster that I believed I understood why.

Every subsequent evening, almost the entire street went, and sat, and talked, and shared, and played, for hours, around THEIR porch. Stubborn habit? Or had they just never forgotten a normal that everyone else briefly remembered?

And I do mean briefly, visitor. The one in a hundred is enough to provide a glimpse of days past, but it isn’t enough to bring them back. You’d have to dial it up, and even then I’m not so sure… Some say we’ve crossed the Rubicon^֎. It’s a risky game too, after a certain point the odds surely take more than could be gained.

Regardless, the hardship, struggle, anxiety, camaraderie, compassion, connection, tenacity, simplicity I experienced, all of it, was unforgettable.

I’ve no doubt Jove^֎ has plenty of storms in store for all of us in one way or another. But here, at last, I understand a strange truth…

My kind of weather must be weathered.

May we receive more from it than we lose, dear reader.

Contributors: Ancient Rome^֎ & Serial Experiments Lain^֎

Syndication^֎: Mastodon^֎ & Agora Road^֎

This blog post is part of IndieWeb Carnival^֎. A project trying to help people post more on their personal websites. This month’s host is Jeremy Cherfas^֎ and their topic was ‘My Kind of Weather’ [#1^֎ & #2^֎]

This blog post is also part of Agora Road Travelogue - Sep [#1^֎ & #2]. A project attempting to encourage individuals to both write and exercise ownership over their content.