On being inspired by the wind

"If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day so I never have to live without you."
A.A. Milne, Winnie the Pooh

The region's been getting pelted by some wild winter weather over the past little bit, with crazy winds, huge temperature swings and unpredictable, intense snowfall. My old hometown of Montreal even had a thunderstorm last night.

The interweb tubes have been filling up with bitter complaints about all of it. Sorry to burst everyone's meteorological bubble if they're bummed by what's going on outwise, but whining about the weather is, from where I sit, a bit of a waste of energy. We can't change it, so we may as well roll with it instead, and enjoy the fact that it makes our world temporarily new and different.

I was running an errand with our daughter this morning, and on one particular stretch of country road we could both feel the wind moving the car strongly to one side. We talked about how cool it was to be out and about on an adventure, and how stunning the horse corrals, pastures and farmers fields looked as the low, wind-driven clouds sped overhead. The sounds were ominous, and the light was spectacular, and we both agreed we enjoyed being a part of nature's drama.

On days like this, Pooh's wisdom has always resonated with me. The world outside the 100 Acre Wood can be a challenging one, but as long as you're surrounded by those who matter most, you can endure pretty much anything. It can be the windliest day imaginable (sorry, it's a Pooh thing) day, but with the right attitude, it can also be a magically memorable one, too.

Which is why I find myself hoping, on this day in particular, for countless more adventurous days like today with my best friend, and the remarkable not-so-little people we created.

Your turn: what's the first thing you do when the weather outside turns nasty? How do you batten down the hatches?