Waiting Out the Storm...Groundhog Day

Winter...

It's a time of year that those of us who have chosen to live in the Great White North prepare for.  We cross our fingers, stock up on a lot of booze and wear a few extra layers when the weather man says "Blizzard". It's cold...it snows A LOT...and the wind will freeze your lungs if you go outside for too long.

Harsh is an understatement. This is North Dakota.

Yesterday we looked out the window to see nothing but white. We experienced a major blizzard. All roads were closed, a no travel advised warning was issued, and  we watched the snow racing across the land with furry.

My friend Miss took a photo from the safety of her home. Snow blurred the image as it clung to the screen, the drifts were growing high and nearly covered the snowman her son recently made. As I looked closer at the image, I laughed. The snowman appeared to be screaming, "SAVE ME!"

Wow, that's quite accurate; considering I felt the same way as I turned my head to peer out the window in the living room.

 Front and center...that was me yesterday

Some may say, "Enjoy the day off...have some spiked hot coco!"
Well, the truth is, I felt that way the last 6 blizzards...number 7 just didn't "do it" for me.

One would assume that school would have been cancelled today. Sure, the Interstates and highways were all closed, but this is North Dakota. My son was certain he wouldn't have school, poor kid...he did.

While driving back on the snow covered roads, I complained to myself, "THIS SUCKS!" The bad roads, below zero temperature, and ice everywhere caused me to say, "Winter is going to last all damned year".

Then, something happened.

I thought about my book.

You see, the title of my book, the stories, and the "message" symbolically mirror the brilliant movie "Groundhog Day." It's a story about understanding "perspective is everything".

And then, I remembered another photo posted by a local business in Fargo. (Zandbroz Variety) They took a photo looking North, then one facing south. It's quite obvious.

It's all about your point of view. 

Talk about not practicing what you preach.

So for the rest of the drive I pictured the events of the book, the quotes that I had cleverly written, and reflected upon the endless hours of frustration when I couldn't see the end.

I thought, "Winter is just a state of mind...I need to stop complaining, because spring is on it's way. It comes every year."

After 'gunning it' to make it through the drift in front of our house and parking the car in the garage, I went to the computer and put on a song my Mom used to play.  

Absolute Genius...

My parents had this record when I was a kid, but at that age I never understood what it meant.
I understand now, and wish mainstream music today still held this kind of message. It's unfortunate...kids now listen to over-produced auto-tuned consumerist tunes; encouraging them to believe they should focus on materialism, popularity, and being ignorant.
I wish they grew up with the music us older folks had.


I could go on for a long time explaining my conspiracy theories about the music industry...but this isn't that kind of post. This one is just about an idea that I hope all of you recognize and share.

Perspective.

So how do you look at your life?

Negative?

You want a prediction about the weather, you're asking the wrong Phil. I'll give you a winter prediction: It's gonna be cold, it's gonna be grey, and it's gonna last you for the rest of your life.

OR

Positive?

 When Chekhov saw the long winter, he saw a winter bleak and dark and bereft of hope. Yet we know that winter is just another step in the cycle of life. But standing here among the people of Punxsutawney and basking in the warmth of their hearths and hearts, I couldn't imagine a better fate than a long and lustrous winter.

Even in the end, the ignorant “Rock Star” Phil understood what winter truly meant. According to extensive research and a quote from Harold Ramis, it took him 8 years, 8 months and 16 days of living in his own personal hell (Groundhog Day) to finally understand why he was living in perpetual winter.

We have all struggled through years of what some may consider a never ending winter. We love, we hate, we blame, we keep doing the same things over and over hoping for change; but once we accept the fact that what we NEED to change is our perspective; we can experience spring while the Alberta clipper swirls around us.

 Summer is coming...it always does. Until then, enjoy the season.

Much Love, Respect, and Support

Jillian