By The Way I See It

Let’s always consider the big picture

Jun 11, 2018 | 5:22 AM

KAMLOOPS — Sunday morning was a chilly, rainy one. We hiked as we usually do with the dog; the air was crisp and the surroundings greener. The few people we met along the way had different reactions. Some were joyous and loving the island-like dampness, others were decrying the sudden lack of warmth. As I write this, the sky is grey and telling of more rain.

On Thursday, and then again on Friday, the news called us to attention: Environment Canada issued special weather statements. Rain was to come, and lots of it, the statement said. In Kamloops, up to 10mm and in the Shuswap area 20 to 40, possibly 50 here and there. Right. Possibly, a bit of snow on the Coquihalla as well.

While I do agree that we need a certain degree of heads up, there is something problematic about the special weather statements like that. If a few years ago bigger meteorological events would be announced as such, now a rainy weekend gets the center stage. For sure we can survive a rainy, stormy weekend without getting all worked up about it.

Being prepared for possible flooding is needed in certain areas. So is the knowledge that heavy precipitations are on the way. People need to take precautions. Same with heavy snowfalls. Or strong winds and tornadoes. It’s good to learn when to stay put and when it’s ok to go about your business as usual. Major weather events can temporarily cripple a community, or strand people should they find themselves unawares on the road as the weather turns.

But… that is not the case this weekend, or other times for that matter. Come June, rain happens in this area I was told by many people after moving to Kamloops. June is usually cold and wet, they said. In the six years we lived here we got to see that. To be fair, we cannot invoke the friendly rain gods to pour down on us only when we have out of control wildfires. And yes, rain is a good thing. Not when it creates flash floods (a danger that can be mitigated by improving soil conditions, planting trees strategically etc.), but rain is vital.

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We cannot afford to be afraid of weather or see it as the enemy that is out to get us. For starters, there is not much we can do to change it. It is the weather after all. We can work with it or around it, but fearing it brings us farther from nature and our surroundings at a time when we ought to find our way back to understanding nature and its ways, connect with it in better, healthier ways so we can ultimately build a better future.

Climate change has been enhancing many of the meteorological manifestations of late, that is true. The severe floods on the east coast earlier this year can be attributed partly to that, though stating a direct cause would be scientifically inaccurate. The world is seeing rising ocean levels in many areas; ditto for longer-lasting severe droughts. Weather can turn suddenly wacko on us and that is unsettling. The list of worrying climate-related events is getting longer with each year of unmitigated greenhouse emissions. That is cause for distress, but also an increasingly louder call to action (while there’s still time, which, cliché or not, has to be repeated.)

Yet… a rainy weekend is not to be placed in the same category. While a young child may fear a big storm before they learn why and how lightning and thunder happen, I am convinced that grownups can handle it all with appropriate dignity. As for the reassurance that possible June snows at high altitude will melt soon after falling, which might happen this weekend…can we handle ourselves without it? I believe so.

Keeping things in perspective at every level becomes a must. In the age of being flooded – no pun intended – with information, some of which is panic-inducing and for no real reason, reminding ourselves to look at the big picture can save us a lot of stress. Which we also are experiencing a lot of, at the society level.

Information is helpful, weather news included, but we do not have to come to where it seems there is no escape from doom. If stress creates opportunities for finding solutions to problems, a constant level of stress induced by the rolodex of panicky news does not improve our quality of life or make us more careful with how we live. Just more scared. Which is, in fact, the least state we can benefit from.

As of now, it is raining hard in Kamloops and that is that. What comes tomorrow? Possibly more rain, or sun. Before we know it, weather will turn hot and scorch. We will survive that too. Either way, worrying about does nothing.