Update:  Hercules has come and gone and left behind snow and cold in its wake.  If you are skiing, its white gold despite the cold temperatures.  If you’re in any one of the major cities in the northeast it was either an inconvenience or an opportunity to play in the snow with the kids.  Of course, the media used words like dangerous, deadly and brutal but it’s just snow.  No need to make it any worse than it is.  As predicted, the storm came and went and the world goes on.  On the positive side, at least for the time being, no one need worry about global warming as temperatures will plummet with a reinforcing shot of artic air early next week.  It’s winter and I for one, am going to enjoy the snow, the skiing the après ski and the scotch.  It’s called enjoying life.  Not allowing external circumstances, ones that really aren’t so bad to affect one pleasures.  A positive attitude will always make things better, even when circumstances really are dire.

Despite the dire predictions of the National Weather Service, the Winter Storm or Blizzard, predicted for Long Island, will be nothing more than a typical nor’easter, a snowstorm, inconvenient perhaps but common for winter in the northeast.  It’s interesting that when I bring up this topic with people often their response is better to be over prepared than under prepared.  While that makes some sense to be sure, that’s not the reason for the melodrama that takes place every time the weather is anything but sunny.  The media needs ratings and the “3Ds” as I like to refer to them, “Death, Destruction and Disaster” drives ratings.  Weather works well for the media because the worst or best that can happen, is they’re wrong. Better to err on the side of caution than to leave the public stranded.

This storm, Hercules, (another silly idea to name winter storms) which only adds to the media frenzy, is actually two low pressure systems.  One which is developing in the midwest and the other over the Gulf of Mexico.  At some point they will meet up and cause the snow which is being predicted.  Of course no one knows where that will happen or exactly how much snow will fall.  Predictions range from 4 to as much as 18 inches (10-46 cm).  Then there’s the cold and wind which are predicted to be quite important as the storm develops.  Hercules should prove to be a fairly decent storm but certainly no record breaker and nothing to fear.

Don’t get me wrong, even 1 inch, (2.54 cm) can cause slippery travel, just ask folks down south but that doesn’t equate to a natural disaster.  Let’s keep things in perspective and not make them worse or more dire than they actually are.  Snowstorms are common in the northeast and the best way to prepare for them is to be prepared.  Don’t drive if possible, make sure you have food, water, and flashlights that work.  But life is about perspective.  A snowstorm as with anything in life can be a disaster or an opportunity.  An opportunity to take a day off from work and play with your kids in the snow.  Enjoy the pristine, winter scene with snow-covered trees and the laughter of children as they enjoy a day off from school.  Sledding and building snowmen are always fun activities.  Don’t allow the media to create a glass half-empty world.  The glass can always be considered half full.  It simply depends on you choose to view the world.