We all have heard the local saying, “If you don’t like the weather in New England, wait a minute and it’ll change.” Whether (no pun intended) or not it is local is up for debate; I’m sure there are plenty of other regions that consider it their ‘local’ saying. What is not up for debate is the importance New Englanders place on weather because it varies so much. One might need to switch from galoshes to snow boots to flip-flops, all in the course of one week.
As someone who has lived in New England for the entirety of my life, I’ve come to learn one thing about the weather: deal with it.
There always seems to be a peanut gallery damning the atmosphere no matter what. It’s always too hot, too cold, too windy or too something.
Let’s take the past two winters as examples. Last winter the eastern seaboard of the United States was hit with the 2011 Groundhog Day Blizzard between Jan. 31 and Feb. 2. I’m sure everyone recalls the copious amounts of snow that had to be shoveled just to step out of your house. By contrast, this winter has been suspiciously snow-free, for the most part. But I’ve heard innumerable complaints during both winters, which I usually answer with a sigh.
What’s to complain about? Are these strange weather patterns totally out of the ordinary? The answer is, “No, they are not.” In New England you must be prepared for all extremes including tornados, as we saw not too long ago.
It comes down to this: you can’t do anything about the weather you’re in, so deal with it. Either move to Southern California, or keep your head down and keep walking.