Around and Around We Go
I've been thinking on this topic as I stress some about it: weather. Storms in particular, actually. I know they hit me hard a lot of the time; that's actually not the issue I was considering, though.
By this digital age, most humans are expected to work on a certain culturally-socially-decided pattern. It's grilled into us even before birth that you go to bed at a certain hour, "scientists say" eight hours' sleep is optimal for good health, and most people are still "supposed to" work nine-to-five jobs. "Going out is good for you!" remains an axiom.
Storms interfere with all of this, on varying levels, and for different people. It's ingrained in us to grumble about having to wait in the rain at the bus stop, complain about snow, freak out about hurricanes and tornadoes, and wildfires. Humans do this without really thinking a lot of the time. And for people like me, when the barometric pressure drops - well, so do I. So yes, it's disruptive even to someone who can't work even part-time anymore.
But really, what are storms? I know when I was very little and still living on the coast, I used to absolutely love going out to watch the waves crash inland during nor' easters. I know it *felt* good; I didn't understand why at the time, it just did. I know my dad who taught me a ton about nature back then loves it when it snows because he says it's peaceful shoveling in the middle of the night. And I know I get a *high* from thunderstorms. But, my husband hates them, and my little vicious creature stays away from the windows when it snows because this is one home invader he can't fight off. And, well, when the barometer drops or it's a bright day following a storm, I'm kinda toast.
What are they, though? I have great respect for Caellach and Taranis; I bid them welcome when they come, I ask Caellach to help me weather the storms that rage through the winter months especially, and I revel in Taranis's power. Because storms are power; at least, they're a manifstation of the force of some god or other. Long ago, it seems people respected such power more than they do now; I know there are accounts of one of the Khans being terrified of lightning, and there are tales about the local gods of Hibernia setting off sea-storms and intense fog to protect the Island from invaders. The fact that people like me, with a number of disabilities including brain damage, would likely not have survived this long back then, makes it a little difficult to find a reference point, for me to say, "so I would have done this or that". But, surely, if they lived by the seasons, would the people of long ago not have had a somewhat different take on storms and what they mean?
...And therefore, shouldn't I?
By this digital age, most humans are expected to work on a certain culturally-socially-decided pattern. It's grilled into us even before birth that you go to bed at a certain hour, "scientists say" eight hours' sleep is optimal for good health, and most people are still "supposed to" work nine-to-five jobs. "Going out is good for you!" remains an axiom.
Storms interfere with all of this, on varying levels, and for different people. It's ingrained in us to grumble about having to wait in the rain at the bus stop, complain about snow, freak out about hurricanes and tornadoes, and wildfires. Humans do this without really thinking a lot of the time. And for people like me, when the barometric pressure drops - well, so do I. So yes, it's disruptive even to someone who can't work even part-time anymore.
But really, what are storms? I know when I was very little and still living on the coast, I used to absolutely love going out to watch the waves crash inland during nor' easters. I know it *felt* good; I didn't understand why at the time, it just did. I know my dad who taught me a ton about nature back then loves it when it snows because he says it's peaceful shoveling in the middle of the night. And I know I get a *high* from thunderstorms. But, my husband hates them, and my little vicious creature stays away from the windows when it snows because this is one home invader he can't fight off. And, well, when the barometer drops or it's a bright day following a storm, I'm kinda toast.
What are they, though? I have great respect for Caellach and Taranis; I bid them welcome when they come, I ask Caellach to help me weather the storms that rage through the winter months especially, and I revel in Taranis's power. Because storms are power; at least, they're a manifstation of the force of some god or other. Long ago, it seems people respected such power more than they do now; I know there are accounts of one of the Khans being terrified of lightning, and there are tales about the local gods of Hibernia setting off sea-storms and intense fog to protect the Island from invaders. The fact that people like me, with a number of disabilities including brain damage, would likely not have survived this long back then, makes it a little difficult to find a reference point, for me to say, "so I would have done this or that". But, surely, if they lived by the seasons, would the people of long ago not have had a somewhat different take on storms and what they mean?
...And therefore, shouldn't I?