Dealing with Extremes
At least three of our poem-prayers (Prayer of St. Francis, reading from Ecclesiastes, Irish blessing) pray for our ability to deal with the ups and downs, twists and turns, and the highs and lows of everyday life.And now even the weather is raining opposites on us. Sweltering yesterday. No, we're not turning on the air conditioning. Deal with it. Shivering today. No, we're not going to turn up the heat. Deal with that, too.
Our prayers have taught us that there is "a time for every purpose under heaven." If the crazy weather this week has taught us anything, it's that 1. March weather is unpredictable and 2. we have to learn to deal with extremes by keeping cool when things get hot, staying warm when the March winds blow. And yes, I'm speaking metaphorically.
Therefore, it makes even more sense that we follow the advice in Kipling's poem If.
Success (or being a man, my son) will come "if you can meet with Triumph and Disaster/And treat those two imposters just the same . . . ." Keep cool. Stay warm. If you really think about it, the two phrases only differ by a few degrees.
posted by JTF @ 10:30 AM
7 comments
7 Comments:
Renee,
Ha! Socks were flying all over the place in both of the phase 4 classes. The phase fives had to deal with streaming difficulties and never got to see and hear "The End." Now if I could only find a poem that had that much of an effect on everyone! I'll find one.
The weather has been crazy and i think it is a good metaphor for how we have to learn to adjust and deal with differences in our daily lives. i think it is important to understand the "If" poem because it does offer a way to live and deal with the extremes of everyday life. The end of the poem says that doing all of the things in the poem and coping with everything that happens "makes you a man" and i think this is a metaphor for being able to mature only once you've learned how to deal with life. I think you can only really be mature once you've realized that there are things you can't control and have to learn to deal with and work around. hopefully the real weather gets warm and stays warm...i think everyone is ready for spring!
Well Fio, As Glen Hurricane Schwartz would say, "The jet stream has dropped below our latitude and therefore bringing cold arctic air." That Glen Schwartz he is all knowing! Any way March has been a crazy weather month. It came in like a lamb and is blowing through like a lion. These weather changes are not just messing with my body temperature and making my hands dry out, but its messing with people's moods. One day everyone is so excited that spring has sprung and are outside running around and now they are back to sitting inside moping about how horrible their life is. Today, the actual first day of spring, brought about snow flurries and at the same time Rita's water ice. Thats not right. Come on Mr. Winter Go away and let sping come back!
I must agree with sdred, something just didnt seem right about standing in fourty degree weather to get my free water ice today. I must agree with your statement that staying cool and being warm aren't that far apart. Regardless of whether its a hot or cold day, bad or good, its all part of life and we have to make the best of it. It doesnt matter what the weather is, it matters how we percieve it and what we do to make the best of it and learn from the experiences. Hopefully this chilly weather will go away though because I'm looking forward to some warmth in good 'ole D-E!
Mehhhhhhh, who cares about weather. I've personally been sporting the flip flops recently and they are great. Everyone should learn to let all the little things go and take life as it comes. Speaking of two extremes, is it bad that I drive with my window all the way down in the freezing cold and have my heat blasting at my feet? I love that feeling. By the way, Chris Bliss is in one word: amazing. That takes some serious skill to juggle like that, especially choreographed to the music as it was.
Here's to free water ice!
(and exploiting the company and getting it 3 times...mwa haha)
REDS,
Who can eat water ice in this weather? I'm getting cold just thinking about it. Gotta balance extremes, like Chinese hot and sour soup. Like some nice, cold sour cream and guacomole with the spicy nachos. And yes, like riding with the windows (and moon roof) open with the heat pumping full blast. This is especially pleasant on a nice spring or fall evening. Driving at a safe speed, of course.
Loss is a major part of life. People try all they can to run away from loss, but guess what? It will always catch up to you. So, its not how you can run away from loss but rather how you deal with it. Life will always be up and down. How do you deal? Hope. Hope, but on many different levels. Hope for a better tommorrow. Hope in a religious or philosophical sense. Hope in a loving sense. Those will get you throug the day
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