Wind

(These were the top wind speeds from the storm "Kyrill" as you can see Frankfurt is in a protected area between mountains, so we were relatively safe)

I read an article yesterday about the saddest time of the year and it reminded me as well of a conversation I had with a friend about ten years ago. My friend Kathleen suffered from depression and told me that the wind really made her angry and depressed. I was surprised, for me the wind energized me. Then, she found a scientific article that talked about the wind making our skins produce a chemical to protect it, in some people it causes a sense of happiness to euphoria and in others a terrible sense of depression. The wind in the storm this time did cause mostly sadness, there were many people injured and some killed throughout Germany and Europe. Back to the article, according to researchers the saddest day of the year is January 24th. This is due to the still continuing dark winter days, the "Post-Christmas-Blues", family tensions, credit card bills and the collapse of our New Year resolutions! I think the best advice there is, is to look up, it will lift our spirits. As Helen Keller said: "Keep your face to the sunshine and you can't see the shadow." Or one that even like better is an old Chinese proverb: "You can't stop the birds of sadness flying over you, but don't let them nest in your hair." Good advice!