There was a two year or so period where I didn't have any TV or internet access at home. I didn't even have a reliable radio or a newspaper subscription. All of this was by choice. I didn't overly miss them to be honest. It was kind of nice being off-grid when at home, and I got used to things like being surprised by the weather each day. My habits have changed a bit since I got local TV and home internet service, but one habit that has been slower to change is checking the weather forecast.
Without TV, internet, radio, or the newspaper to check the forecast, I had to manage the old fashioned way: go outside, see what I'm dealing with, and make decisions accordingly. This approach sometimes results in wrong decisions. There was one day in a past March when I wore warmer clothes to bike to the library, eight miles each way, and by the time I left the library it was 80+ degrees. Today, I left for choir rehearsal in a jacket thinking it felt warm enough outside, and walked out after rehearsal to find snow. Both were beautiful surprises. The first surprise was a beautiful March day. The second surprise was a beautiful snowy scene; the Concordia Theological Seminary campus is gorgeous in snowy and rainy weather, so I walked slower than normal out to my car.
I spend a lot of time planning to avoid surprises, but I don't often mind being surprised by the weather. It helps remind me I can't avoid all surprises, and keeps me from thinking I have more control than I really do. Both of which are lessons that are worth sometimes wearing the wrong coat.
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