Estée KlarThe Joy of Autism

Weather pulls us together. Ever notice? Here in Mexico, we all flock to lie under the Mayan sun, escaping the cold and gray of the North. We don´t talk much down here. There are lots of books, booze and the sound of crashing waves.

Back home, I turn on the Weather Network. Who would have ever guessed it would be yet another 24/7 entertainment channel?  Just an aside, I get personally excited with Weather Warnings and tornado watches. I start Blackberry-ing friends in cottage country to take cover when the weather threatens up there.

I like snowstorms that leave me stranded inside –or they are supposed to leave us stranded. It´s really an invitation for me to take a long walk with hard snow scratching my face,  having to lift my legs so high just to take one step. I do it because no one else does. It´s just me and mother-nature out there.

Then, there are more serious weather matters. The Tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, among other natural disasters, and we all pull together. We know that if it was us, it would be (or be more) catastrophic. Compassion seems only to emerge when we can picture ourselves in other people´s shoes and situations. I’m not going to talk about whether or not that´s problematic in and of itself as we tend to ignore the rest of the world unless something happens that might threaten our own existence or security. When it seems to hit closer to home, boy do we start to pull together.

Yet, that´s how it tends to go as we all become preoccupied with our own lives and believe that everything will stay the same. I know that things do not stay the same. I know it the hard way. And no one asks, really how I am. Instead, it´s easier to ask, ´”how´s the weather?” Forget about, “how are you?”

You see, people really do not want to know. Maybe it´s just too scary to know. Maybe people worry about getting into a whole story they do not want to hear because it might be too boring, painful, or whatever. Everyone has their own lives to worry about, right? Or, might we all expand ourselves by giving of ourselves, by taking time to ask that very question?

Yet, maybe, just maybe, the weather is just a safe segue to get to know each other better, or so I’d l ike to think. So, I will tell you that the weather is great down here in Mexico and I’m about to climb a Mayan Temple named Coba. Please let me know if you are stranded at an airport due to the weather, or if the gray and cold is getting you down.

I really do want to know.

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