The following excerpt comes from the Tadpole edition of the 5 book FROG Blog series (Tadpole’s release date is for spring 2021, after “Unthawed from a Frozen Lily Pad” is finished). The Tadpole stories include essays of 300 words or less, a shorter version of the original FROG Blog.
*(Subject’s name changed to avoid possible turbulent winds)
I used to be annoyed when a friend recapped the latest weather conditions. “Cousin Cloudia” states that the first thing she does each day is to check the forecast. I want to glibly respond, “the first thing I check is my pulse and then rush to the bathroom, no matter what the weather reports.”
She defends her routine “whether” I want to hear about the chance of rain or thunderstorms. I grew increasingly irritated that she allowed weather to determine her outlook or control her agenda.
Cousin Cloudia chooses to adapt her activities (or lack thereof), to a meteorologist’s prediction. I view predictions as predicaments, potentially driving me into a storm shelter. I believe in taking necessary precautions (like looking out the window or grabbing a jacket before heading out the door), but not to the point that weather stifles me from fully exploring a day.
When it’s not always sunny in Philadelphia, Cousin Cloudia isolates herself. I choose to insulate, or hydrate, as temperatures require. I adapted an adventurous spirit after years of allowing remote control mind patterns to landlock me. Yes, sometimes I’m uncomfortable because of weather conditions, but I want to face clouds and embrace the sun. Instead of watching the forecast, I want to experience current conditions in real time.
If trees, leaves, and animals can adapt to change, so can I. I’ll hibernate when I need to but won’t retreat to a climate-controlled cave unless I absolutely must. From the famous words spoken by my favorite theologian Yogi the Bear, I want to be “smarter than the average bear”!
Packing my pick-a-nick basket to go outside to learn about today’s shifting winds,
Christina