Length of shower: unimportant. what is important is if I actually got wet!--Today is what the nerdy of nerds call a holiday; that's right it's Groundhog Day. Today I thought and pondered on this special day and why it is even mentioned or brought up on a calendar. It's the day we all wait in anticipation for an animal that most of us never see in our lifetime (have you ever seen a real groundhog?) to tell us if winter is over or if it will continue for 6 more weeks. Now, maybe I'm weird but I can tell all that by pretty much looking outside each day and judging for myself. This day seems as logical to me as that lone farmer who is starting to plant seed months ahead of everyone else. He fights against the hard and still frozen ground and struggles to get the seeds deep enough into the hard earth. When you ask him why he is doing it he says, "because the almanac says it's time to plant." Really? When did we stop making our own judgements and start listening to a book or (worse) animal to tell us how to live?
I looked up the weather today in Punxsutawney, PA (where the famous Groundhog lives) and it is "snowy, rainy, and windy with a high of 32 and a low of 12. The 'feel like' temperature is 22 degrees." Um, call me crazy but I don't know any hibernating animal that would come out of his home, much less see his shadow, in weather like that. They must have used one heck of a cattle prod to get "Punxsy Phil" out of his hole so he could not see his shadow.
And that's another thing that doesn't make any sense to me about this day, the philosophy itself is all backwards. According to the belief, if the groundhog sees his shadow then that means there is 6 more weeks of winter and if he doesn't see his shadow it means that spring is coming early. So, you are telling me that if there is a lot of sun (he sees his shadow) on this special day then we get more winter, and if there is no sun then we get less winter? That makes no sense! It should be the opposite! Sun is warmth and goodness and the true sign of spring, but by this backwards holiday's rituals the sun means more snow and cold and sun-less days ahead. That doesn't make any sense. This holiday actually defies logic!
Ok, wait a second. I have a very open mind and so I will consider for a moment the possibility of all this groundhog shadow stuff. After all, a squid in Germany accurately predicted 95% of the world cup games this past year so I guess maybe a groundhog could predict the weather. How accurate has this Groundhog been? 39% accurate!? And people still buy into this stuff? I mean my local weather guy isn't great but I think he is more accurate than 39%! By school terms you aren't just failing you are riding the short bus. Only 39%, really?
Ah, but wait again. I've got it! I look above and re-read my point about the philosophy of groundhog day and a small light goes off in my head. What if I am right and the whole thing really IS backwards? What if the groundhog is fine, but since he can't speak English he can't explain that it is the people around him who have it backwards? The philosophy is off, but the groundhog is right after all. If that were the case then he would be 61% accurate. Still not great but a whole lot better than 39%. I get it now! We should trust the opposite of what the ritual says and therefore trust the logic in front of us. If the sun is out on Feb. 2nd then there is a 61% chance that spring is coming early and if, like today, the sun is not out then there is a 61% chance that winter will be around for a while longer.
So the groundhog CAN help us in predicting the future after all! Oh, thank you Punxsutawney Phil. Thank you Groundhog day!
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