November’s Gifts - Tom Finneran

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Friday, November 13, 2020

Tom Finneran, GoLocalWorcester MINDSETTER™

Let’s stipulate that 2020 has not been a good year for the human race.

It has been an all-encompassing challenge to find the silver lining in any of the world’s many dark clouds.

And as we enter November, we shiver in memory of past November gales and blizzards. Notorious November is usually stingy with gifts and overly generous with bitter winter darkness. Recall if you will, Herman Melville’s classic opening lines in the novel Moby Dick……..”Call me Ishmael…….Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp drizzly November in my soul……..”. Melville makes my point. Damp, drizzly, grim---yep, sounds like November to me.

But November 2020 seems to have thrown us a lazy pleasant curveball. How about that beautiful stretch of sunny seventy-degree days we just enjoyed? After late October’s snowstorm, how nice was it to be able to golf in short sleeves, to putter around in the garden, or just to feel the sun on your shoulders? Sunny and mild makes for a winning formula even when raking leaves.

Speaking of leaves, is it my imagination or has our foliage this year been more spectacular than ever? Even the brown leaves seem to be brushed and veined with gold. The reds, oranges, and yellows have been stunning, rivalling the gorgeous colors we associate with New Hampshire and Vermont.

My wife wonders if this year’s summer drought is the proximate cause of this fall’s brilliant foliage. Neighbors here in Boston and on the Cape share her theory. All agree that this year’s foliage has been spectacular.

We enjoyed another colorful event a few days ago, a very brief moment of wonder. These shortened days have given us motivation to squeeze out and celebrate every last minute of light at both sunrise and sunset. A few days back, it was a special sunset over Cape Cod Bay where we caught the “green flash” as the sun’s last light sank splendidly into the bay.

I had first heard of the “green flash” in conjunction with Jamaica where of course the ritual is accompanied by gorgeous beaches, turquoise waters, steel drums, and plenty of rum. I live by the theory that what’s good for Jamaica is also good for Boston and thus my quest for the green flash (and rum) whenever I’m near the water at sunset.

Research tells me that certain atmospheric conditions are the necessary prelude to catching the green flash. Experience tells me that even without the flash, most sunsets offer an awesome array of colors and a joyful reminder of nature’s daily promise.

Finally, in the realm of our earthly concerns, we learn that the horizons of science and knowledge are about to expand yet again. We are told that several Covid 19 trials show enough promise to bring effective vaccines to America and the world in the first six months of 2021. These statements are not the hyped-up claims of candidates on the campaign trail. Rather, they are the statements of experienced scientists and researchers who exhale caution and caveats with every breath. And while there remain many bridges to cross, does anyone really doubt that the year 2021 will be a year of vast improvement over our recent tribulations?

Stunning foliage, the elusive green flash, and the miracles of modern science………..

These have been November’s gifts. Someone should tell Ishmael.

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