Climate Control

December 7, 2023

I'm a guest on morning TV pretty regularly here in Rochester, usually waving my pom-poms as the "rah-rah-Rochester" commentator, and lately also wearing my "Rochester Eclipse Task Force Chair" hat. The weather patterns over Lake Ontario bless Rochester with heavy cloud cover from November through March (thanks, Canada), which means that not only do I arrive in the dark these days, but I usually leave in the gray. "What's it doing out there?" one of the hosts will ask when I get to the studio, even though they know perfectly well what it's doing out there because they've watched their colleague announce the forecast five times in the past hour. "Don't worry," I reply. "I bring my own sunshine." And I'm not even being sarcastic.

Relentless positivity certainly works as morning show repartee, but I find it plays well in the rest of life, too, especially if I tone down the schtick. Lots of bad stuff happens that you can't control, to the point sometimes where it's hard to remember that the bright spots are just as true as the dim ones. But it is almost always in your power to summon some degree of light to a room... and it doesn't necessarily require being dazzlingly cheerful, either: It can equally mean bringing calm to a storm.

Another way you can summon sunshine anytime is to support an organization or cause that moves you or has brought value to your family or community. December is typically the make-or-break month for fundraising as well as for local businesses and retailers, and there are so many ways to say "thank you," "I believe in what you're doing," and "I want you to be here tomorrow." Investing in the future of those who make the world brighter also instantly makes your own world warmer.

December is a great time to resolve whenever possible to bring more light, more warmth. So this month, let's turn the concept of global warming on its head: We can't control the climate outside, but we're in total charge of our own personal thermostat.

Your hand is on the dial. Turn it up to "Glow."

—Deb