Have you felt like you’ve been on a rollercoaster this past week? If so, you’re not alone.
In addition to the general craziness that has been 2020, over the past seven days it appears the weather has decided to be equally erratic, unpredictable, and topsy-turvy in an effort to get in on the fun. Whether it’s Mother Nature’s idea of a twisted joke or a blessed reprieve and distraction from the rest of the world imploding on itself, the last several days have hosted gloriously unseasonable highs, soul crushingly frigid lows, and everything in between. We’ve gone from early-winter to pseudo-fall to second-summer to rainy-spring and back to snow all in the span of one week! At this rate, I simply can’t keep up: I’m wearing snow boots one moment, shorts the next, and then am digging my parka back out before I can say “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.” I can’t tell up from down, my apartment windows don’t know if they should be letting in the warm afternoon breeze or freezing over with condensation, and retail has transitioned from Halloween, bypassed Thanksgiving, and moved into full-fledged Christmas mode in the blink of an eye. And, as if to add insult to injury, daylight savings has only fanned the flames and added fodder to this weather madness by shrouding us in perpetual darkness and making it feel like it’s 8:00PM all the damn time.
Again, I repeat: Rollercoaster, much?
And while part of me wholly dislikes this yo-yo effect and desperately craves some semblance of consistency in something—anything— this year, I have to admit: I have thoroughly enjoyed the wild ride November has taken us on over these last several days. There’s just something about checking your weather app and having your jaw quite literally drop—and then doing that again and again on repeat for several subsequent days—that is unexpectedly thrilling. I don’t know, maybe it’s the 2020 talking, but allowing myself to be pleasantly surprised by the weather has been the highlight of my week. Sunny and 75? Automatic win. A ferocious cold front and several inches of icy precipitation? Not ideal, but it is November, and the fresh snow is actually pretty lovely, isn’t it? From the euphoria-inducing revelation that I could ditch my winter coat and don a tank top to the shocking transition a few days later when we received four inches of snow, I’ve learned to take the lemons life hands me and make lemonade regardless of rain, shine, sleet, or snow. Who knew something so seemingly unremarkable could play such an outsized role in my perspective and mental health?
In this vein, it’s safe to say I maximized last weekend’s dwindling hours of daylight by spending nearly every waking moment outside. I ran, I biked, and I hiked over fourteen miles during “walk and talk” meetups with girlfriends, enjoying the sensation of warm air on my skin and soaking up every possible ray of sunshine. I even explored somewhere new and met one friend at Lebanon Hills, a sprawling natural oasis that extends over 2,000 acres of scenic Minnesota goodness. As far as I’m concerned, nothing beats losing yourself in conversation while enjoying the great outdoors, and last weekend was just the dose of therapy I needed to settle my mind, reframe my perspective, and ground myself in the inherent goodness of the present moment.
It’s true: This unseasonably warm weather has really done a number on me. At times I’ve had to stop and almost question: “I don’t live in a tropical rainforest… right?” And while the answer is most decidedly no, there’s something exhilarating about that momentary pause—those precious seconds that left me suspended in wonder and prompted me to question the veracity of my reality—that is unquestionably liberating. Something powerful happens when we are prompted to see new perspectives and reassess that which we previously knew to be true; we step into this moment, and suddenly anything becomes possible. Winter turns to summer, bundled layers give way to freeing mobility, and even Minnesota’s notoriously treacherous climate suddenly transforms into a tropical rainforest. And while the weather will not always be this deliciously volatile and the cool temperatures will soon saunter in for a more permanent stay, what’s to stop us from creating our own sunshine—our own spark of joy and excitement—to last us through the long winter? Let’s bring own warmth—our own light— and intentionally choose to inhabit a sunny state of mind even on the darkest of days.
Does that mean it will be easy?
Absolutely not.
Does that mean it won’t ever be cold, dark, and lonely?
Oh, hell no.
Does that mean we should live in a perpetual state of false optimism and dull ourselves to the truth of reality?
I believe you are missing the point…
…No.
Yes, it will be difficult: All good things are. But we owe it to ourselves to express gratitude, train our minds to see the good, and create a foundation that will allow us to continually strive for something bigger, better, and more beautiful than that which we currently know to be true.
Ride the highs.
Ride the lows.
Enjoy the moment.
And never forget to pause, look up, and recognize that we’re damn lucky to simply be on the ride.
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