[Preliminary Thoughts: III]
We broke heat records last summer. 113*F in Arizona is hot but not newsworthy. In Western Washington, however, it means 30% berry crop failure, a spike in farm animal fatality, and major fish die-off.
We broke cold records this winter. 3*F in Colorado is no big deal. In Washington, where I live and where there is no infrastructure to protect against such deep freeze, it's akin to a mini Ice Age. Entire species have a hard time recovering from such frozen torment.
These records remind me that much of life, despite our attempts at building it how we want, preparing for our future, and engineering our success, is unwilling to be controlled. Not that we are helpless bystanders, but any manufacturing (i.e. build, prepare, and engineer) metaphor seems more misleading than helpful.
The drastic changes in temperature offer a different metaphor: seasons. Life happens, rarely fully unexpected but surprising nonetheless, in seasons. And like seasons, the good and bad must be experienced together.
I look forward to reflecting this year on what deep truths we can learn about life by paying close attention to the ever-changing cycle of seasons.
