barometer rising
Monday, March 10, 2008 by Kate Inglis 
Every time I leave the house I give the glass a tap-tap-tap, watch the needle twitch and tell fortunes with as much magic as a ouija board at a seventh grade sleepover party.
The old barometer tells me what weather’s brewing in the atmosphere of this craggy, rocky seashore in a way that’s tactile, romantic—at least compared to the goofy banter and shit-eating grins of the local news.
Often I’ve wondered what it would be like to have a barometer of life. Some leatherbound, vintage typeface and needle that would forecast episodes of catastrophe (premature babies imminent) or achievement (clear skies following credit line payoff) or vice (periods of rum at times heavy, visibility near zero).
The last one’s a joke. I haven’t taken to bottle. Yet.
With a barometer of life I’d at least know when to batten down the hatches, when to hoist up the spinnaker to fly on light and friendly winds.
But knowing all defeats the purpose, doesn’t it? Because the whole point of living is trial by fire, to gain heart-bursting perspective through the lens of hindsight—not foresight.
Reader Comments (22)
Barometers always strike me as a bit foreboding, even when they are showing Fair. This picture is lovely.
Have a great week.
Danielle
This photo is stellar; your post, one of my favorites yet. Sleep well tonight, Internet friend - Happy Monday tomorrow.
Yes, there are times when I would love to have a life barometer - something that could have helped brace your for heartbreak in high school, or to deal with that aching loss of a loved one. But when I think about it, I think the highs of life would be a little compromised by the foretelling; there's something about the good surprises in life that make me never want to know ahead of time.
I love that photo!
There are things I'd like to know so that I can prepare for them. Or just give up the effort of trying so hard. Then there are things I don't want to know.
...However, I guess if I stopped trying, I'd stop living, wouldn't I?
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I also think that the little glimpses of goodness are always best enjoyed as unexpected.
I love the colors in the photo...
hang in there, spring is coming, even to your end of the world!
Thank you :)
For life's tragedies...if we can only know what's coming, but can't change the outcome, maybe it's best that we don't agonize over what we can't control -- and rise to the occasion when we must.
For life's happy surprises...sometimes the element of their surprise adds to the happiness of those moments.
Beautiful photo!
what would life experiences be for if we had learned from then before they even happened? we wouldn't even learn the same lessons, would we?
although sometimes it seems like it would be nice. to know. all of it.
I think we all have a sense of a barometer of life inside us. Sometimes we get "that feeling" that something good or bad is happening. It may not always be correct, but it's there.
You said it perfectly, Kate.
This post made me think of my Gram. She could tell what it was doing outside by how well she could yield a pair of knitting needles. Her arthritis crippled her when the barometer read cloudy, damp. I miss her dearly.
Would I dare to want a warning...would I listen even if I had one?