Sometimes we need a storm
I’d like to make an apology. I am not normally in the habit of causing damage and devastation but this week I could not help it. Storm Gareth was out of my control.
It is a bit disconcerting to be associated with a natural disaster but this has led to an interesting discovery: according to researchers at the University of Illinois and Arizona State, statistically, storms with female names are more dangerous than storms with male names. This is not because they are stronger; it is because people are lured into thinking it will be gentler if it has a female name and therefore they take more risks with equipment, clothing and activity. People forget, it seems, that the female of the species is often more deadly! This deep-rooted gender stereotyping does not influence everyone of course and researchers from Cornell University have argued that the name is insignificant; other factors make it more deadly. Either way, as far as Storm Gareth is concerned, the wind and the rain has not been pleasant but after a storm there is always a sense that it was necessary to enable new things to grow and develop; the loose bits have been blown away and what’s left can enable the green shoots to flourish. A bit like a good education! Things don’t always go smoothly and sometimes we need the stormier weather to make us re-focus and get ready for new growth when the sun returns.