Weather Report

Everyone at school’s been running around like a chicken with its head cut off because the weather report is for high winds with the possibility of snow, perhaps accumulating one to three inches.

If it comes to pass that there’s another blizzard or that a bunch of trees blow down, cutting power, it will be a drag, but I find it a bit pathetic to see so many people so exercised about a prediction that hasn’t yet come to pass and may not at all.

I realize it’s important to be prepared, but I think people are falling prey to the local TV news weather person hype thing. You get these commercial blurbs during the Simpsons that sound like it’s time to batten down the hatches for a hurricane when it hasn’t even begun to drizzle outside.

I suspect there is a bit of wishful thinking in people’s concern; even though we express the hope we won’t be snowed under, a gleam shows in our eyes indicating we wouldn’t particularly mind another weather-induced day off.

I’m trying not to worry about things unless I really have to. Of course, the rub is whether I’m not worrying about things that I should be.

I was planning some event—a party, I think—with my friend, Nick, his wife, Sara, and Jen. He was all stressed about some aspect of it. I said, “Nick, I wouldn’t worry about that.” He said, “Well, someone has to!”

I’m always saying to Jen, “Oh, don’t worry about that; it will all work out.” She points out that it will work out, but only if she does worry about it—because I’m not likely to.

So, perhaps we will get a foot of snow tonight (although it’s not looking like it), but no amount of planning I do is going to have any effect on whether it does.

So, in those immortal words of that great philosopher, Alfred E. Newman, “what, me worry?”