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Spring is a time of transition in the upper Midwest. Masses of cold air still assert themselves, often colliding with warm, moist surges from the south. In this case, opposites may attract but they don't mesh well. These atmospheric disparities often spawn violent storms, including tornadoes. One day's warmth and thunderstorms may yield, the next day, to snow and biting winds. It can feel this way in our psyches, as well. When one part of the self differs wildly from another part, inner conflict often ensues, sometimes with emotional pyrotechnics. Often, I use weather as a metaphor for the workings of the self. We talk about feeling cold or warm inside, about a sense of calm or, alternatively, storminess, and having a sunny disposition as opposed to living under a cloud. These analogies help us make sense of the fickle "inner weather" that rules the emotional landscape of the self.

“I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning to sail my ship.”                                                Louisa May Alcott