There’s one hell of a wind out there today. As I watch the trees outside my window I marvel at their flexibility. The spruce branches are waving like undersea fronds and a poplar branch as big as my thigh still has the give to sway broadly as the wind gusts. As I sit cozy and safe in my home, I’m thinking there’s probably some really good metaphor about resiliency in there; the ability to bend and accommodate whatever gets blown your way.

When I took the garbage out, wind-kicked pinecones stinging my legs, I came across a bottle picker working at my dumpster. We chatted briefly as I tossed in my garbage and fought to keep my hair from blowing in my eyes. We naturally talked about this bloody awful wind; he seemed surprisingly cheerful and invigorated by it all. There’s probably some good lesson on resiliency in there too.

It’s all making me feel terribly grateful right now. Grateful for the warm sheltered home I have, able to watch those dancing branches from a place of comfort. Grateful too, for the Chinook wind that brings change and better weather. And more than anything, grateful for the ability, when the change comes too fast and roughs you up a bit, and unlike that homeless fellow, to be able to step out of it and take a break from it when I need to. There’s a pretty good metaphor in there too.

So maybe today, while you’re sitting cozy at home, and wondering what to buy people for Christmas, maybe instead you could click through and make a donation to the Calgary Homeless Foundation in lieu of gifts this year. Someone else could really use a safe place to step out of stormy weather.