Weather tales

Ever start a conversation talking about the weather? Of course you have. It's an international ice breaker........safe and non intrusive surface skimmer, right? Sure thing.....unless of course you live in the Canadian Maritimes. Here, one never knows how DEEP the conversation will flow.

There's a saying around these parts.......If you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes. Believe it or not, there is a strong thread of truth to that piece of advice. I could wax poetic about the many times just this past summer when this was true........and then I could tie it into events that were planned or happening or ruined or enhanced because of the turn of the weather. Then, I could share with you a story or two about the people who were at the event and how it affected them. Can you see how talking about the weather can lead you down a weather front? We have 4 seasons around here: fall, winter, spring and road construction season. Consequently, the variations to the stories and the "I remember whens" are infinite.......

More often than not, the interviews or counselling sessions I am leading begin right at this very spot.....on the corner of Barometer and WeatherVane. Heck, conversations with total strangers rev up nicely shooting the breeze about the.... ahem........breeze. In fact, it is a running joke with my family that if I'm left to my own devices, I inevitably find myself verbally cavorting with someone while waiting to be picked up at the store, or in front of my office, or wherever I seem to be standing.

The chat begins innocently enough.......... a "hot enough for ya?" is pitched at me and we're off to the races.

A hot muggy July day comes to mind.... I'm sitting on the curb in front of the Superstore in Amherst, Nova Scotia waiting for my family to return from dining at McD's. I was stocking up for a weekend in Spencer's Island, and though it is our normal routine on our way to our destination, I can safely say I know no one personally living in this city.

So........I'm sitting there trying not to move too much because it is very hot, watching a man come out of the liquorstore next door. People watching........my favourite pastime. Before I know it, this guy saunters over and asks me if I'm comfortable sitting on the curb on such a hot day.

I answer...........Yes, it's much cooler down at ground level.

Right away, he starts telling me about how hot it was when they originally built the building and how he was involved in tiling (or whatever it is) the outside of the building with the sun glaring down on them.

I'm still sitting on the ground looking up at this guy.......smiling..........

So, I ask a few questions about the building and his type of work, etc and how difficult it is to do outdoor work in this country because of the changes in weather etc. He agrees. An urge comes over me to make one comment..........

"You must still work outside because you're very tanned. " And OH MY GOD, we're off to the races. In a matter of 5 minutes I learn...........

• No, he's not working anymore. He just likes to be outdoors.

• He permanently injured his back and legs from years of labour work.

• He's applying for a disability pension

• He's been denied twice and is appealing it.

• He has Dr so and so and Dr. so and so on his side............do I know them? NO? Where am I from?

I tell him...........and ask a few questions, since this is an area I am VERY familiar with since it is my job in the neighbouring province.

He needs to tell his story and I'm interested so the conversation continues.....(still within a 5 or 10 minute time frame)

• He also has a head injury
• He was in a bad farming accident when he was a kid living in Germany
• They thought he was going to die, but he survived and had to learn to do everything all over again
• He moved to Canada to seek out a new life as a young adult
• He had trouble reading

on and on....................simply because it was an acknowledged hot muggy day.

From the corner of my eye, I could see my family motoring towards me in the van, laughing because they know it's happened again.

Ask someone in these parts about a specific event.......Easter, birthday, family reunions, the day their team won the Stanley Cup............or a tragic event, like 9-11, chances are great that they will begin their answer with the description of the weather. It's just the way it is.

And it's the way we connect with one another at a deeper level than just skimming the surface.

Storms move in and storms move out capturing the feel of a Maritimer story, bookending the human being chapters, offering up a tale to tell. So, be prepared for a leisurely paced conversation if you ever visit this part of the world. Because when the weather is involved, there is NO telling how long the conversation will last or just what you might learn.