A lot of people in Michigan hate the weather: unpredictable; too cold; too grey; “when is it going to snow?”; and then, “oh my word, when is it going to stop snowing?” These are some of the usual complaints.
I won’t lie, I miss the sun and am tired of trying to dress strategically so that I’ll be warm enough and be able to shed layers when I (inevitably) get too warm… maybe tear-off, stripper pants are the answer…
The cold, however, helps define the idea of *home* for me. I feel a sense of comraderie with the bundled souls I pass on the street whose thin, quick smiles show just above their scarves. Offering warm drinks to guests turns a perfunctory courtesy into a true act of mercy. And when my car fishtails on corners I’m able to ride it out and not panic…that’s just winter driving and you either embrace it or move to Arizona. My mother always said, “Even if I had as much money as Jacqueline Kennedy Onasis I’d still live in Michigan.”
I read A Civil Action by Jonathan Harr this weekend. It was actually for my Community Health class and I didn’t feel guilty for getting totally consumed by it and ignoring other homework. Harr details the development of a huge environmental lawsuit that took place in Massachusetts in the 80’s. Interesting and thought provoking this is really well written…and I don’t usually like play-by-play accounts of true stories such as Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer and A Perfect Storm by Sebastien Junger, which are written in a similar style, but not nearly as good.
