What do you think of when you think of Kansas? The Wizard of Oz? Home on the Range? Kansas State University? Sometimes it is thought of as the Sunflower State, the home of Dwight D. Eisenhower and Amelia Earhart, or the location of the first-ever Pizza Hut. Now all of these are true, but one thing I think of most when I think of Kansas…. is the CRAZY WEATHER! You know how one day it can be 70 degrees outside with the sun shining and the next day it is snowing, or the days when the wind is blowing 30 miles an hour in the morning, but by evening not a single leaf is moving. The weather cannot only be bizarre at times, but it can teach us life lessons as well.
1. Be ready for anything.
The weather in Kansas, as we know, changes constantly; this is the same for our life. One day, everything may be going exactly your way and the next day it may seem like everything has fallen all down hill.
If you are traveling in Kansas, most likely you have an umbrella, an ice scraper, gloves, sandals, and sunscreen all packed to go, because you never know what the weather may turn into. Instead of trying to plan for the ‘expected forecast,’ be prepared for anything and be ready to adapt with whatever is thrown at you throughout life. Like the common phrase goes, expect the unexpected.
2. We all have our rainy days.
Then there are those days that are forecasted as the perfect day, but when you wake up in the morning the rain begins to pour. Things don’t turn out like you want them to, which we often call a bad hair day. These days happen to everyone, don’t fret or worry about it. Another day will come and life will go on. Just as Annie in the musical says, “The sun”ll come out tomorrow; Bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow, there’ll be sun!”
3. We must overcome what’s holding us back.
Have you ever been in one of those moments when you’re walking against the wind, but you feel like your moving backwards and not forward? The wind in Kansas is common and is often an obstacle between you and your destination. Although the wind may be a hindrance, it is nothing you cannot compete with. We have to fight through whatever is keeping us from reaching our dreams.
4. Be cautious not to slip.
There are days that it may begin to freeze and ice covers the ground. Sometimes we don’t even see the ice, so we have to be very careful where we step in assurance that we do not fall. In life, every day, we have to make decisions that decide the direction that we go. Each decision is a step that we make; if we take the wrong step, it’s possible we will begin to slip.
5. Be careful not to get caught up in a whirlwind.
One of the scariest parts about Kansas’s weather, for me, are the tornadoes. When I was younger, I hated having to go to the basement in fear that when I returned my home would be gone. These rotating columns whirling at high speeds are very frightening. They can be similar to our daily life when things begin to pile up. More often than not, we get too caught up in trying to finish everything on our to-do list instead of enjoying life for what it is.
It’s pretty remarkable what we can learn from a part of our everyday life. We are often given a forecast to prepare us for the upcoming weather, but even the weather can prepare us for the rest of our life. The highest temperature in Kansas has been 121 degrees and the lowest was a -40. It averages 59 tornadoes a year and once had 30 inches of snow in just one day. Yes, our weather is crazy, but what is really unique are the lessons we can learn.
