First Snow

First snow fell yesterday morning barely enough to cover the ground. Even though the sun is out today, the temperature hasn’t hit 60 at mid-day today. A sure sign of winter coming. And this Sunday we turn our clocks back again, and it will be dark much sooner than I like. As the weather is so unpredictable these days everywhere, I wonder what this winter will be like for us.

Two seasons ago, we had an epic snow storm that shut our community down. We were out of power for days. Many people were literally snowed-in as the snow plows couldn’t get to their streets because of unexpected equipment issues. While this was nothing compared to what my friends in Asheville experienced in the recent Hurricane Helene. In my mind snow storms were the last thing I thought about as far as natural disasters were concerned in this area, yet the Snowmaggedon, as we coined, actually awoke this community for the need of disaster preparedness.

We’re definitely in a high fire zone and the whole community sits on San Andreas Fault. Nevertheless, some volunteer committees were formed to get us residents prepared for any disasters. First we got ourselves some radios as they recommended so we have a means of communication in case the cell towers are out. We still have a long way to go to be prepared both at personal level and community level, and I’m grateful for those who are giving their time to help us be prepared.

As I look out the window, I see the blue sky and lots of trees. It is quite tranquil, yet I am very aware of the fragility of this life as I know it. That’s all the more reason for me to be mindful and present each moment with whatever comes including my own internal storms as I did this summer. Just as the Snowmaggedon didn’t break our community but got us on the path to resilience, my depression didn’t break me but made me more resilient. And there’s an abundant supply of blessings all around.