I Know From Whence I Come

Dr. Donna Mann

A favourite icebreaker used in group work asks participants to describe their lives as weather reports. It is interesting to hear how some people feel that they have just lived through a hurricane; others speak about high winds with snow squalls and occasional ice pellets. There are some that describe their life as a sunny day with soft breezes or a rippling stream falling gently over a waterfall.

I suspect this reflects an honest response to life. Personal situations offer a variety of experiences that can easily remind us of storms and sunshine.

This winter has given us diversity in weather conditions that have resulted in a particularly extreme season. This has worked in positive and negative ways for some. Winter resorts haven't been happier about winter conditions. The outdoor enthusiasts celebrate the elements. Children take advantage of the fresh snow on the toboggan hills and skaters seek out the smooth ice in the field rinks.

At the same time, environmentalists are concerned about winter-feed for deer. Road departments caution us about safe driving. Fire Departments inform us about having well ventilated stoves and chimneys. Service centers encourage the upkeep of vehicles, and car insurance increases with fender-benders.

Although some of the above require prevention to avoid dire consequence -- preparation is necessary in a harsh winter. Preventing and preparing goes further than having a snow shovel at the front door. They can be incorporated into lifestyles in very meaningful ways.

So, what in life do we attempt to prevent, and for what do we prepare? And by answering these questions can we avoid losing ourselves in the consequences, sometimes storms of life. I remember my mother saying, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." Perhaps by preventing we will not need the cure nor will we need to suffer the consequences?

One other important ingredient in this formula of life is naming or labelling. The weather report gives an opportunity to touch some reality in order to name what's going on in our life. In reflection, we know whether we needed to wear a raincoat or put on snow boots, fill an oil tank or buy a roof rake. We know if we needed an umbrella or sunglasses. We know if we needed to check out Winter Haven on the map. In naming where we have been, what weather we have survived, we can forge ahead to where we want to go.

We also learn a bit more about ourselves as we travel. We identify some personal resources, strengths and even weaknesses - a valid discovery in the storms of life. A worthy finding I would say if it helps to challenge the elements apparent in our personality and character.

"When I want to understand what is happening today or try to decide what will happen tomorrow, I look back" (Oliver Wendell Holmes).

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