The Search For Enlightenment

What a wonderful surprise greeted us down here in Dorset this morning. A beautiful blanket of pristine snow had fallen perfectly and silently overnight, covering the trees, roofs, cars and roads, turning the everyday scene into a winter wonderland. It is always a privilege to see it before any footsteps spoil the perfection.

Of course, being a work day, it wasn’t quite as perfect as it might have been. There was still the job of clearing the car windows, and along with the other hardy souls, braving the conditions to make my way the twenty miles, cross country, to Ringwood.

Listening to the radio, experts and representatives of the motoring organisations were urging motorists to stay indoors and not to attempt any non-essential journeys. Ha !!! The biggest problem was circumnavigating the poor souls who had clearly never driven in snow before. I guess that might cover quite a few commuters down here in southern England.

Anyone reading this in Canada or North America, where they have snow several feet deep for months of the winter, will laugh heartily to hear that a mere couple of inches can bring UK roads to an un-gritted shuddering halt. But even having taken the time to clear the car, I was still in work on time. And I was the only one in IT who made it.

Some of the team come from further away than me, others were away on business, but it was clear that the rest had decided it was far more prudent to work from home, and why not, I cannot blame them for that. But it did make me think, that having lived in the Midlands for the first thirty five years of my life, then in the Netherlands, where they also have ‘proper’ snow, I was used to driving on the stuff, in fact I really enjoy it.

So as with all things in life, a little wisdom, borne of years of experience, stands me in good stead when the unexpected arrives, be that a sudden (though much announced) fall of snow, or any other situation that might befall me. In a world that is fast trying to ignore the assets that older people have to offer, this was a good example of how the wisdom of age can be a great benefit.