We’ve got a Winter Storm Warning here in Canterbury this morning. As I write, I can hear that the rain has turned to sleet tapping a wet staccato on the dark windows. Soon enough, it will be silent snow falling through the day. Here’s the National Weather Service’s take on what I’m hearing outside:

...WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM EST THIS
EVENING...

* WHAT...Heavy mixed precipitation. Additional snow
accumulations of 3 to 5 inches for a storm total of 2 to 7
inches, sleet accumulations of around 1 inch and ice
accumulations of around one tenth of an inch.

* WHERE...Portions of central New Hampshire and south central
and southwest Maine.

* WHEN...Until 7 PM EST this evening.

* IMPACTS...Plan on slippery road conditions. The hazardous
conditions could impact the morning or evening commute.

I work from home and we have a generator, so unless there’s an internet outage, I am generally unaffected by what the weather does. But this morning’s wintry mix has got me thinking about how my perspective has evolved.

I used to take some pride in going to work, pretty much no matter what. And I can recall quite a few more or less harrowing drives to and from Concord. Our driveway has a couple of curves and steep spots. I remember sliding off and down the field toward the woods one icy morning on my way to the gym before work. And changing my route home in blizzardy conditions to avoid as many hills as possible wasn’t unusual — although it isn’t easy to avoid hills around here. And there have been many occasions when I’ve gotten stuck, trying to get up our driveway after work.

I’ve never had a winter accident — or any accident in NH for that matter (knock on wood). Thinking back on my wintry commutes, though, it wasn’t for the lack of trying!

And writing here this morning, I’m struck by how much my perspective has changed. Ten years ago, I’d have headed straight to work. Today, as I weigh the pros and cons of venturing out into a wintry mix I hear echoes of countless grandparents through the ages saying, “Careful, you’ll poke an eye out!”

It definitely seems to be something that comes with age, this shift. And I wonder, is it about wisdom or fear? Or something else?

The consequences of sliding off the road or having a fender bender just seem more real (and more of a hassle) to me than they used to. And that’s what I think it boils down to — awareness of consequences — and what you’re willing to deal with.

I’m the same person as the teenager who thought my grandmother Mimi was annoying and weird for all her worries. (She was sometimes often a little overboard with her angst.)

But now I see ways that I’ve become Mimi — and I have a bit more appreciation for her perspective. She and I are in sync this morning, as we both choose to observe this wintry mix from inside the house!