Groundhog Day, or: How I learned to stop worrying and love the weather rodent

The astounding weather-predicting rodent Punxsutawney Phil poked his nose out of his stump up on Gobbler's Knob this morning and predicted six more weeks of winter.

As much as I might want to resent the oversized rodent for denying me an early Spring ... I don't.

As I said last year: I just love the silliness of Groundhog Day.

I mean, seriously, what an absurd holiday! A rodent that predicts the coming of Spring?! How odd a tradition is that? And, Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania? Good on ya' for capitalizing the hell out of it. (Psst. Don't tell Punxsutawney I called their holy day "silly", okay? They take this shit seriously, y'all.)

Groundhog Day is such a special holiday it even has it's own movie! Dude, that puts it up there with the Big Guns of Christmas and Thanksgiving! Sure, Bill Murray is no Charlie Brown or Heat Miser. But, still, a movie named after you, that's a pretty big accomplishment for holiday that doesn't involve gifts or feasts or rampant commercialism! Go, Groundhog Day!

As I also mentioned last year, I quite like the movie. (And, since so very few of you were reading my blog this time last year, I'ma tell you, again, why I like it.)

It's a funny movie, sure. Bill Murray almost always cracks me up. But, I also see interesting philosophical undertones in it: Undertones that Buddhists and Taoists might recognize.

*SPOILERS*

In the movie (directed by the very funny Harold Ramis), Phil, the self-absorbed weatherman, finds himself trapped in the same day over and over again. He tries several approaches to end his suffering - to exert control over his reality, to break out of his cycle through some force of his will.

When those don't work, he falls into desperation and despair.

And then he has a moment of understanding and acceptance. He stops focusing on his suffering. He stops fighting against his reality. He focuses instead on this moment and he turns his attention to relieving the suffering of others. He stops "trying" and starts "being" part of a bigger whole.

By caring for others and living in this moment instead of worrying only about himself and what the next moment will be, he has the "perfect day".

"Whatever happens tomorrow, or for the rest of my life, I'm happy now..."
~ Phil, Groundhog Day

Cue the Hollywood Happy Ending™: Boy breaks cycle, boy gets girl and they live happily ever after.

There's a warm-n-fuzzy message in there, delivered on a platter of funny. Win-win, yeah?

*END SPOILERS*

So, when Groundhog Day rolls around each year, it's a reminder to me that it doesn't matter if Punxsutawney Phil predicts six more weeks of cold or an early Spring thaw.

Religiously, I'm an atheist. Philosophically, I'm a Taoist. Realistically, I'm a pragmatist: Complaining about the cold doesn't make it warm.

And, yeah, I'm not just talking about the weather.

I believe that you can either accept what life is and, thereby gain the freedom and ability to find the happiness in it, or you can make yourself miserable by dwelling on what "should be".

Groundhog Day is my annual reminder to shove "should be" out the door. If you let it, "should be" will steal your time and your happiness. I don't have any room for that thief in my life.

As Phil-the-weatherman learned on his never-ending Groundhog Day: You can beat your fists uselessly against the bars of your "cage" or you can take another look around, spruce the place up and make a home of it. And maybe find it's not so much a cage after all. It's your choice.

Whew. Pretty heavy stuff to hang on such a little holiday, huh? Meh, I think Phil can handle the weight. He's a hefty little groundhog. And, I suspect, wiser than your average rodent.

Zen