Today, as I sit in my warm home, looking at the winter weather accumulate outside my windows, I am looking at Facebook posts. Many of the posts are centered around the weather. Alabama friends are dealing with an unexpected snow and there are children that cannot get home to their parents, teachers that are stuck all night in the schools with said children and motorists stranded on the road, leaving cars and walking to get home. Here, in Eastern North Carolina, we were told, about this time yesterday, that we could possibly see 12 inches of snow by this afternoon, however, the winter weather, I see, looks very much like ice and sleet with no sign of snow.
The Facebook posts from Alabama are ones of desperation and frustration since the weather forecasters apparently missed the forecast by calling for a dusting and they received much more than that. The Alabama people are mad at the weather forecasters for missing the forecast and mad at the school systems for not dismissing earlier.
The Facebook posts from North Carolina are ones of frustration and irritation since the weather forecasters apparently missed the forecast by calling for 12 inches and no precipitation falling until around 2:00 p.m. People are therefore frustrated with the school system for calling school off yesterday, for today, based on the forecast and irritated with the weather forecasters for getting it all wrong. The other Facebook posts are making fun of all of those that have gone to the grocery store and gotten bread, milk and eggs in preparation of being stranded inside, for several days, possibly without power.
I have only seen one post about the homeless dealing with this incredibly cold weather and that person seemed to be apologizing for spoiling everyone’s excitement about the snow.
All of this to say, I don’t understand the negative comments about any of it.
1. Weather is unpredictable.
2. Forecasters are human.
3. School officials can only go on the best information they are given.
4. People that aren’t used to this weather just want to be prepared….I, for one, do not want to be stuck in my house, for days without food and no I am not used to driving on ice or in snow.
5. Negative comments and thoughts just don’t change a thing
6. I would rather people err on the side of caution and safety than not (right Alabama??)
7. Life just takes unexpected turns and no amount of griping, complaining or wishing it were different is going to change that.
8. A little perspective makes a big difference – have you ever had to find a warm place to sleep or food to eat?
So, maybe, I am being a Negative Nellie being frustrated by the Negative Nellies. I don’t mean to be so I am going to sit by my fire, thank God I have food on the table, a roof over my head, and a warm place to be and let the Negative Nellies complain and gripe on!
P.S. No disrespect to those named Nellie, it just rolled off my tongue with the word negative!