This video can be seen posted on uTube
Published on Jan 26, 2013 by Steve Grzanich:
"On January 26, 1967, Chicago's worst snowstorm, ever, dumped 23 inches and left 4-6 foot snow drifts. When the snow finally stopped on January 27, 60 people had been killed and the city was paralyzed. Amazingly, just two days before the blizzard, the high temperature hit 65 degrees in Chicago."
"OMG, I lived through this. Took 7-1/2 hours to get home on the Diversey Bus and then I had to walk the rest of the way to Belmont and California in 5 foot snowdrifts. I really thought I was going to die that night. Anyone who lived thru this will NEVER forget it."
2015
Though in recent years
Blizzards have matched or exceeded 'THE BIG SNOW OF 67'
At that time, THE BIG SNOW had broken
All existing records in the Midwest
And as a snowfall of such record breaking proportions had
Been unknown to this part of the country
Our major metropolis had 'Failed To Prepare', and
Being unprepared to remove snow, which had
Swirled into drifts so high as to bury cars right up to
The tops of their roofs, streets were bare of all traffic except for
Snow plows, of which there were too few
In fact, memories of our flash-frozen populous experiencing
City-wide paralysis before Will served his hitch in
The Air Force had, most likely, inspired
Our eventual move to the desert to feel utterly sane ...
1967
When considering the fact that my two hour trek to get to school (which
Had not offer me even one chance to sit down) made me feel like
A popsicle, walking woodenly on two frozen sticks, you can see why
My transport home from school had unquestionably changed for the better
On the other hand—
Our drive from the suburbs to my 3rd floor, walk-up apartment in the city
(Which normally took half an hour) proved as long and treacherous
As had my morning experience, battling the elements, because
The winter storm had worsened, hour by hour, and
As the day progressed, swirling winds
Had caused snow, falling heavily, to layer up into frosty drifts, which
Rose higher than crisp, white sheets, pulled taut on hospital beds, suggesting that
During this whiteout, the angel at the wheel could see
Pretty much nothing beyond her window shield, which
Points to why her foot rode the brake much more often than
She'd gingerly tapped at the gas as had proved true of
Every driver maneuvering throughout our city, its
Surrounding suburbs, and past county boundaries into
Adjacent states, as well
In addition to the fact that vehicles, large and small, inched forward
Bumper to bumper, the slickness of the pavement on
Major thoroughfares, freeways and interstate highways saw
Cars, trucks and buses skidding, this way and that, as
Everyone on the road couldn't help but drive blind as bats, which is why
Thousands of people in Indiana and Illinois decided to
Abandon their vehicles in the middle of the street, choosing to
Trudge miles on foot, through towering snow drifts, in hopes of
Getting home, safe and sound, before dark—Thankfully
The abandonment of vehicles would not begin to take place until
Much later in the day rather than at the time when, fortunately
Our school district had had the foresight to
Dismiss school, early, right after lunch
As my savior's vehicle continued creeping forward
We got to feeling as if our entire metropolis had been
Swept into the twilight zone where
We'd felt compelled to maneuver our way through
A surrealistic crash-up derby, which
Threatened our sense of personal safety over
The next interminable two hours ... And though
I'd felt relieved not to be a Popsicle, awaiting buses and
Trains, which often times, failed to appear ...
I'd also felt plagued with anxiety, based
In guilt, each time thoughts of this angel's need to
Trek home, navigating her chilly way on her own, after
She'd freely gone out of her way to drop me at
My warm and cozy apartment's front door ...
Upon reflection, clarity suggests that
Anyone who thinks life is meant to be lived
Free of self imposed guilt, which gives rise to
Inner conflict that drives us crazy, is literally
Out to lunch with an empty paper bag in hand, because
That insight is based in this deeper truth:
Peace of mind is nourished by learning to identify
Those times when undeserved guilt has imprisoned
The problem solving portion of your mind, making
Brainstorming toward a workable solution
Feel impossible until time spent in objective reflection frees
The solution-seeker within your brain and mine to
Quest toward a plan that proves so logically effective as to
Consider everyone's needs, including heartfelt needs that
Prove to be our own, most especially when
The conflict in need of resolution proves exceedingly convoluted
And thus, when inner conflict, which remains unresolved, grows
So complex as to boggle my brain, that's expressly when
The concept of 'Never-give-up-on-achieving-a-heartfelt-goal'
Directs my think tank to take a break before
Brainstorming toward considering possible solutions, again
You see, no one can make me feel guilty unless I agree; however
I've come to see that no one heaps undeserved guilt
On my head as readily, heavily and unnecessarily as me ...
And just as I'd unknowingly guilted myself at the age of three
And eleven and twenty-three, I've continued to
Condemn myself with undeserved guilt
Unknowingly , until recently, when EMDR therapy
Enabled me to see my need to create a new pathway for neurons to travel that
Proves so well balanced as to detour my conscious mind away from
The subconscious pathway, which would have condemned me to carry
The burden of undeserved guilt, left unresolved during childhood
To my grave, because it has been proven that
Unexpected eruptions of yesteryear's PTSD often make us feel
Terribly guilty of acting wrongly when
Insight into deeper truth suggests the time is ripe to
Identify the subconscious, UNDESERVED fear of wrong doing that has
Haunted our sense of well being since childhood
And now that today's post feels like it's pulling into
A nice, warm, cozy station, where you can
Chew on food for thought, meant to
Nourish a really good person's peace of mind
I'll end by thanking the universal spirit for
Directing my intuition to grow attentive to
Those times when divine inspiration
Swoops down from on high, inspiring my inquisitive mind to
Quest ever more deeply into self discovery, beginning
When my first born son, Barry, who was so winsome from the
Moment of his birth as to completely capture my heart—declare
His existential young self, loudly, clearly and uniquely
Separate from me—as early as two years old!
As life proves to be an on-going odyssey, where
Change gives birth to one inner conflict after another
My choice to open my mind (in hopes of
Broadening my perspective) offers me cause to
Rethink my decisions and thus, when you hear me say:
My first thought is not necessarily my best thought—
I am suggesting that insightful awareness offers me reason
To embrace objective reflection until
My addiction to personal growth offers my inner tension
Reason to lessen and as tension relaxes allowing
My think tank to expand, reason to
Change my mind about self imposed guilt comes clearly into view
And as the haunting nature of undeserved guilt lessens
My lost sense of peace of mind reappears
And with peace of mind restored I can figure out how to achieve
Heartfelt goals, which had felt impossible, before ... and now
If you've managed to puzzle your way, successfully, through
The last half of today's post, then let's tackle
'Who's On First?' next, because
We who can laugh at ourselves, laugh best—
And laughter continues to be the best medicine, I know—
Most especially when reality points to the fact that
At every stage of life, change creates conflict, which is why
Peace of mind proves tough to hang onto, indefinitely ...
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