I will start off by saying that I do not care for the weather in the North Eastern part of the United States. I live in York County, Pennsylvania. Summer kicks off in earnest nowadays around middle of June (i saw my first June Bug last night) and extends now until the middle of September. Then there is a period of temperet weather before the Fall chill kicks in. Finally, Winter takes grasp of things and we all buckle down until the wet season of Spring takes hold.
Growing up in Australia - Melbourne to be precise - the nickname was four seasons in one day. If you did not like the weather in Melbourne, wait an hour or two and it will change.
So imagine my joy and delight when, back in the late 1990s, I had an opportunity to live in Arizona. Phoenix is known for 300 days of sunshine every year. Compared to the Seattle Rain Festival (held from July 1-June 30th every year), Phoenix weather seemed amazing at the time.
But then I lived there. And while I loved the weather, and the warmth and I loved every aspect of the culture, the lifestyle, the people, everything, I realized something pretty quickly - temperet weather is not all that it is cracked up to be.
Why?
Because I found myself missing the cycles. I found myself longing for a cold and miserable winter. I found myself wishing for the new birth that Spring brings. And while the locals will tell you that indeed there are seasons in Arizona, the harsh truth about it was those seasons did not have enough highs and lows.
So therefore, the lesson of the parable: You have to endure Winter to fully appreciate Summer.
In life, if you do not have some hard knocks that bring you down a peg, you will not have the lesson of learning to appreciate the highs. If you live in a temperet climate in your mind, not willing to take risks, or become emotionally vulnerable, you won't fully appreciate the new birth that Spring brings or the Summer season where there is barely a cloud in the sky.
Live the four seasons of your life and live them well. During the Summer of your life, look around and find the June Bugs and appreciate their beauty because you won't see them in the cold season. And when it is cold and it snows, learn to love the snow because if you choose not to find joy in the snow, you will have less joy, but still the same amount of snow.