I wish someone would inform Al Gore that we've had 103 inches of "global warming" this winter, which is more than double the "average" snowfall for Maine in a typical year. And we're getting another foot of snow tonight! Yes, I know, polar bears are dying in the arctic because of melting ice floes --well then let someone bring them to Maine! I don't know about you, but I think the only worthy thing about Al Gore's theory is the huge bucks he made selling his book and speaking at colleges. With each shove of the shovel tomorrow, I'll pretend he's on the end of it. This afternoon I heard a noise out back, and upon investigation I saw a large industrial-sized scoop truck scooping tons of snow into a dump-truck because there's just no more room to put the snow. We had lost 4 parking spaces on each side in the parking lot, that is, the width of four parking spaces on both sides, eight in all, were piles upon piles of snow that had been plowed, with not a square inch left to pile any more. So they had to haul truckloads of it out of here.
Having said that though, spring is definitely in the air even in the face of another snow storm. We're making the transition from the single digits and teens (fahrenheit), all the way up into the 40's next week. Which means the ice should start melting, which means I can go out walking in the neighborhood, which means the sap starts flowing in the maple trees, which means the crocuses will be popping out of the earth soon, and the robins will start thinking about coming home.
On the other hand, it also means weeks and weeks of rain, and gray skies and mud season. But it's worth it in order to get to the delightful month of May, the most beautiful month of the year in Maine. Many "Mainers" prefer the vibrant colors of fall foliage, and I agree that's all beautiful, but to me, nothing compares to the joy in the air when the sun shines in May. How do I describe the feeling -- I know, it's like the feeling you felt as a child when the familiar tune of the ice cream truck came nearer and nearer to your neighborhood. It's all joy. It's all delight.
I used to HATE winter until one day I realized it's the price we pay for the privilege of living here. I've lived in many places - I counted 22 moves in my lifetime (so far) and the more I've traveled the more I've appreciated the state of Maine. I spent a lot of time in southern California. Never once did I drive a car in that insanity on the highways. Cars dashing in and out, changing lanes with hardly a warning, and all at speeds coming close to the speed of a rocket booster. People laugh at me when I tell them that I can't stand that kind of traffic, but they don't realize that where I come from, a traffic jam is a four-way intersection with a car on each side. On interstate 95 in Maine, if you're north of Augusta, you can drive for long stretches without so much as a single car in your rear-view mirror. Now THAT'S enjoyable driving.
Another thing I didn't like in southern California, was being in the minority when going to Burger King or any other place in the metropolis. Don't get me wrong, I am NOT prejudiced, I have friends who are not white caucasians and I treasure them. But for the most part, people just naturally tend to want to be with their own kind. It's just more comfortable to be with people who have the same cultural background as you, the same idiosyncrasies, the same ordinariness typical of one's particular background. It's NOT that one race or culture is better than another - it has NOTHING to do with quality. It's just the comfort of familiarity. And today, that's not possible if you live in the large cities. I once worked overseas in a multi-cultural organization, and I can truly say I cherished each and every person I worked with. In fact, it was fun to compare stories related to our backgrounds. I bent over in hysterics when I heard someone say he was going to get a "torch," meaning a flashlight, or when someone referred to the front of the car as a "bonnet." It was great fun. We argued over whether what I held in my hand was a cookie, a biscuit, or a scone, and I never gave up in my insistence that what they call "chips" are really "French Fries." I got used to hearing languages foreign to me, and delighted when I could recognize which language was being spoken when I heard it from someone I didn't know. But at the end of the day, the Dutch pretty much hung out with the Dutch, the Germans with the Germans, the Americans with the Americans, etc. Though the multi-cultural experience is richly rewarding, the natural tendency still is to relax with the familiar.
Now how did I get onto that rant? Oh yeah, I was talking about why I love living in Maine. Maine is laid back, quiet, geta cuppa coffee and hang out. Kids ride bikes in the street. There's lots and lots of green. Trees, grass, flowers, mountains, lakes. People are "down home" - you go into a store and you're sure to meet someone you know. I love the familiarity. And that's NOT to say that Maine is in any way lacking. My town has two colleges plus a community college, two hospitals, theaters, plenty of places to eat out, and all the amenities of a cozy, comfortable lifestyle. What's not to like? If going to bars is your thing, we have bars. If faith is a great part of your life, we have churches of most denominations, a synagogue, many home fellowships.
So back to my original subject, it dawned on me one day that if we had year-round summer here as they have in southern California, we'd have the year-round crowds too. In southern California you can't breathe. It's noise and wall-to-wall people everywhere you go. Busy, commotion, noise, push and shove, isolated human bodies in crowds of people who don't know each other, rush, rush, rush, ohhhhhh ....that's NOT for me. I'm just happy that there remains a place like Maine. And it's all because of winter. It's all because of the really rough winters we have here. If it weren't for those terrible winters, Maine wouldn't be Maine anymore, it would become masses of isolated people who don't know each other cramming in front of you in the store, on the highway going 90 miles an hour, craziness, I get over-stimulated just thinking about it. Winter is the price we pay for the lifestyle we enjoy here.
The bottom line is that what I once hated I now welcome, because it's the reason I can enjoy the kind of life I enjoy. So thank you, God, for Maine. And please --don't listen to Al Gore.
