In rural north central Iowa, where I live, a lot of small talk revolves around weather. We use phrases like: “This heat wouldn’t be so bad without the humidity”, “I don’t mind the snow, I just can’t handle the bitter cold”, “It would be a nice day, but this wind!”
And I’m not knocking it. We probably get fewer “perfect” days a year than I can count on one hand, most years with 2-3 fingers to spare. If you live in Iowa, you’ve heard “if you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes,” and the fairly recent, but now ubiquitous, “hold my beer” jokes that liken our weather to a daredevil about to do something stupid.
But aren’t there good things that come from this unpredictability? When it’s nice out in February, we prioritize time outside. When we have snow without bitter cold, we make forts and snowmen, find a sledding hill, or hop on a snowmobile. We grill out daily if there’s no snow on the ground (or for some of us, if the outside temperature doesn’t include a wind chill number). In the early spring, 50 degrees guarantees you’ll see t-shirts, sandals, and maybe even some shorts. When we get little unseasonal gifts of warmth, or even seasonal perfection, we celebrate them.
Conversely, we also delight in the times our warmer seasons go a little bit sideways. We love a good sweatshirt day in August, and build a fire in the backyard fire pit. We sit on the porch, or open the windows, to listen to the calming sounds of a massive soaker of a July thunderstorm. An early April blizzard squeaks out one last day out of school and off the roads, and we spend it cozy and warm, snuggling under blankets, knowing it will soon melt, and spring planting will begin.
The list goes on about how we delight in the small gifts that come with our wildly inconsistent weather. We are hearty folks due to this fact, and pros at making lemonade out of our myriad meteorological lemons. And further, I can’t remember a time when we haven’t been this way.
So, what if we try to look at life similarly? I’m not suggesting we delight in our disasters. But what if we do our best to roll with those unseasonal swings and unexpected upheavals. What if we stop everything and delight in the times when things feel almost perfect. What if we realize that, in life, like in weather, we cannot appreciate the sunny and 70 without the gray and -20.
There is no recognizing the sweetness of spring without the sting of winter, nor is there appreciation for the crispness of fall without the stickiness of summer. In life, after all, we are actually meant to feel the fullness of experience and emotion, and for this gift of seasons—and the unseasonal— we are actually truly blessed.
Sara Middleton is a freelance columnist and resident artist/owner of Studio Sol Gallery & Creative Space in Eagle Grove, Iowa. Email her at sara.studiosol@gmail.com or find Studio Sol on Facebook or Instagram.
