Relatively Normal Weather

It's snowing outside, again. Not really that surprising. What would be surprising is if it were snowing inside. But it isn't, it is snowing outside, which is not surprising for winter weather in Wisconsin, which is where I am. (I did not intend for that last sentence to be quite so alliterative, but now that I have it down, I don't want to change it.)

Apparently, we are not the only ones getting snow. Georgia has gotten some snow (about 2 - 4 inches in the northern parts of the state) recently, and a state of emergency for Georgia was declared about two days ago. Up here in Wisconsin, we look at that and say, "Really? We wouldn't even cancel school for the day over that little snow."

I thought about this and realized something. It really isn't fair to the state of Georgia to criticize them in this manner. Snowfall is a yearly occurrence here in Wisconsin, and we have adjusted to it and are equipped to deal with it. Wait for the snow to finish falling, get out the snow shovel, clear off the driveway and sidewalk. Snow plow trucks clear off the roads, shoving the snow to the side of the road, and usually putting down salt or sand behind them as they go, to melt snow or provide added friction, respectively. Georgia probably does not have such equipment on hand, as weather such as this is an anomaly.

When you have to deal with something for long enough, it doesn't bother you anymore. During a previous summer, I was volunteering at a local thrift store. My specific role was that I would assist in picking up items that people had arraigned to have picked up from wherever they were; usually, it was that they either had many items, the items were large in size or some combination of the previous two options. During one pickup, Doug (not his real name; I have changed it to respect his privacy) and I were picking up a furniture set. The temperature had cleared 90 degrees Fahrenheit, I was sweating like I was in a sauna, and Doug didn't seem to be bothered by the weather at all. As it turns out, he had spent about ten years living in the coastal region of Texas, so weather like this was an everyday thing for him.

One must be careful when regarding situations such as these. What may seem extraordinary in one location may be considered commonplace in another. It is important to remember that most things are relative. Not all things, though, as to say that all things are relative would be to commit a logical fallacy. If all things are relative, then nothing is absolute. However, that was an absolute statement. That would be Russell's paradox.

Be careful about what you say.