Last winter, I read this really amazing essay by Garrison Keillor (whom I positively adore as a writer, even though we think very differently) about winters up north in Minnesota, I think. The article had a nostalgic tone, as though he longed to be there in the frigid temperatures instead of the bustle of NYC, and he gave the best word pictures that have stuck with me all year. He said that up north, people live very transparently and know their neighbors very well. They need to, since they typically rely on each other to help dig out after big snows, pick up sundries for each other regularly in the event of a blizzard, and--here's the word picture part--to help them keep their noses clean. Literally. He described a blistering cold climate where people's noses literally run and the snot freezes on their faces before they're even aware that it's there. It becomes necessary, then, to look out for your neighbors--to keep them from embarrassing themselves, to develop a sense of humor and community, and to keep one's humility intact at all times--because you never really know when you're letting it all hang out.
I smiled through the entire article, and still think of it now when I think about the most important people in my life. What a good picture for accountability, for community, and for what friendships are all about!
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