“O, wind, if winter comes, can spring be far behind?” -Percy Bysshe Shelley
Windblown Winterkill, Dec. 1, 2012
The wind has been unrelenting all week. Steady breezes of at least 30-40 miles per hour, with bitter gusts adding a sharp chill to what is unseasonably warm weather. What is it about the wind that sets ones teeth on edge? The chill? Windburn? Fatigue? The howling? Or as my son suggests, the fact that it blows your hat off?
Wind has long haunted the human conscience. There are no less than eleven mythological wind gods, including Aquilo (north wind), Eurus (east wind), Auster (south wind) and the fellow gracing us with his presence today Favonius (west wind). According to the thesaurus, there are thirty-five named winds worldwide. There is poetry in the names: pampero (Argentina), willwaw (Canada), willy-willy (Australia) and tramontane (France). I cannot find the poetry outside my door today.
A sense of powerlessness, weather induced ennui, overtakes me on windy days. Unlike, a horse I cannot turn tail to the breeze and wait it out. Nor can I face the onslaught with the bulk of a bison and carry on. There is nothing left for me to do, but hunker down and wait the weather out, like the other lesser beasts.
It’s either that or I develop the coping skills of my wind-blown husband. He is ever conscious of when to open a vehicle door, the best places to feed hay, saddle your horse, or accomplish any task while braving the elements. We’ve long-since left Wyoming. As a result, Guy doesn’t cram his hat upon his head with the extreme force once necessary. Nonetheless, his attitude toward wind is better than my own.
Windblown wonders. Bruneau Sand Dunes, 2012.
In my hiding, I do not let the wind shape me. While I fight the movements of nature, he lets the wind inform his choices and mold his behavior. He like the dunes patiently shifts his being grain-by-grain and perseveres, while I risk toppling over.
My parents built a house on a hilltop in the country in the 70’s. Mom’s only complaint other than the house is too big now (She’s 90) is that the wind blows relentlessly everyday. Never a day without it.
In the Hebrew Scriptures (the Christian Old Testament) the word “ru-ah” can be translated either as “wind” or “spirit”. The Holy Spirit (One with God) is often made manifest in the wind. When you write about your husband –
“…he lets the wind inform his choices and mold his behavior.”
– you could be saying he is being faithful to God.
Reblogged this on sueharding4.
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Good post. I like the wind, but then, I’m on the east coast and it’s maybe less violent here.
My parents built a house on a hilltop in the country in the 70’s. Mom’s only complaint other than the house is too big now (She’s 90) is that the wind blows relentlessly everyday. Never a day without it.
We’ve had a lot of wind too. It really sets me on edge. And it’s been so dry I have lots of dust blowing.
In the Hebrew Scriptures (the Christian Old Testament) the word “ru-ah” can be translated either as “wind” or “spirit”. The Holy Spirit (One with God) is often made manifest in the wind. When you write about your husband –
“…he lets the wind inform his choices and mold his behavior.”
– you could be saying he is being faithful to God.
Thanks for this well-written reflective post.