The Alaskan winter reminds me daily that life is all about shades of grey.  It is a gradient world never reaching absolute white or absolute black.  There are infinite variations capable of melting massive mountains into clouds and hiding all sharp edges behind soft mounds of snow.

I like the subtle variations of this world; it feels like living in a gentle Japanese painting.  I especially like the lack of absolutes.  There are so many more possibilities within the shades of grey than if I were limited to black and white.  The world becomes a richer place, and I get to share in that wealth.

All this is great, of course, unless I’m on a shopping trip, and I HAVE to buy something, and I feel I HAVE to be happy with my choice for the next four years at least.  Then having too many shades of grey makes the decision very difficult and I might yearn for black and white to make the decision easy.

However, I’m personally very happy with my shades of grey.  At any given moment, I have the joy of every point on the spectrum.  My life is full, and I never feel the need to exclude anything or anyone.  The Alaskan winter suits me, I think.  I can prosper in this place, and when I have to go shopping, I can be happy with whatever I get, because nothing lasts forever, and it can always be replaced.