Boat Dreams Come With Responsibility
Winter is confused this year, with
temperatures bouncing from the mid-sixties to minus degrees. We have come to
expect some variation but this season has been extreme and we’re not even
halfway through. The confusion is justified. The seasons are determined by the
earth’s rotational axis as it travels around the sun in an elliptical path.
Each season has its own character in regard to precipitation, temperature,
wind, the amount of daylight. All of this affects our activities.
But our seasons are experiencing change
because our climate is changing. New patterns of drought, flooding, cold, and
heat are affecting our earth, which in turn affects us all. We have experienced
stronger storms in the past few years, with unanticipated outcomes. Our crops
are dependent on stable local climates; too much variation can lead to crop
failure. There are things we can do to slow it down, if we have the will.
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/wycd/
Perhaps we can call up the will through
our memories and daydreams. This boat, sitting swaddled by the bare trees,
hints at warmer days, beach weather, fishing, and adventures on the water. The
garden catalogues that arrive in the mail speak to us of new growth, of vibrant
spring colors and gardens filled with ripening vegetables waiting for the right
time to be picked.
And while we’re daydreaming, let’s
remember to appreciate the season we’re in. Let’s enjoy that welcoming cup of
hot chocolate or jasmine tea as we come in from the cold. Let’s savor the
beauty of the snow when it drizzles down from the sky – shoveling comes later.
And let’s allow ourselves to luxuriate in the embrace of our dreams. But let us not forget that our daydreams
come with responsibility. There is work to be done if we want to help the earth
be the kind of place we remember and cherish.
Characteristics of the seasons:
The science behind the seasons:
How does climate change?:
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