Environmental change is making it harder to rely on the way we’ve traditionally responded to extreme events. What used to be rare — “storms of the century” or major disruptions — now feels increasingly common. Cold snaps, heat waves, floods, and landslides are happening more often and with greater intensity.

Nature connectedness is associated with increased vitality, mindfulness, and compassion.

One thing that unites Juneauites even more than talking and/or complaining about the weather is our goldfish-like memory when it comes to said weather. I blame a lot of that on the weather itself; a glorious weekend of sunshine seems to dry soggy reminders of a month-long rains and a winter storm that brings two feet of snow is more than sufficient to bury the memories of weeks where the ground sat brown and cold.