The Many Facets Of Winter.

Nature is amazing.

You couldn't get more perfection if you tried. However much we like to compete, Mother Nature always is one step ahead. It takes a camera to have a close enough look to notice it.

Aren't those frozen droplets on the twigs of lavender just too beautiful?

Oh, don't get me wrong. Mother Nature is our foe in some parts of the world right now. A foe that is dealing out misery. What is that old saying: " Never judge anybody until you walk a mile in their shoes! "...let's be honest, we have been meting out gigantic heaps of misery to Mother Nature. The ball is in Mother Nature's court!

I am hoping that there is a silver lining in this dark cloud of Nature's revenge. Hearing how for example 5000 flights have been cancelled for the day, it makes me happy that there is a lot less pollution in the sky. Even if just for the duration of the storm(s). The possible silver lining:

• Collectively these awful winter storms have made people think of alternate ways to do business. Gosh, isn't that one of the main tenets of the Internet...you can work from home!
• Strangers have pitched in to help those in need. Even at their own risk. Human kindness is getting bigger and bigger.
• Possessions are just possessions. They cannot replace our family, health or friends. The intense focus on getting more & more is starting to shift toward finding ways of being happier with less & less.

  Once we realize that less is more & less is perfect, we automatically cut our carbon footprint in enormous quantities...

• Power cuts, as disrupting and painful as they are do teach us a few things. When we still lived in South Africa, we would have scheduled and un-scheduled powercuts lasting hours or even days. Guess what? You learn to make do and when the power comes on again you have a new respect for it and use it accordingly.

Biggi