day 310

It’s been surprisingly cold here lately. Not unbearable but historic “winter storm” level for Austin.

As someone who grew up with harsh winters, my instinct has been to chalk up overreactions to individual experience. Those horrific pileups all over the news? People who sadly didn’t know to slow down for black ice or panicked and slammed the brakes.

Recently though I’ve started to think about how “overreactions” to inclement weather should be attributed to gaps in local infrastructure rather than individual actions.

Put another way: how environmental factors can help or hinder us but remain largely invisible to others.

When I stepped outside yesterday the apartment stairs were fully iced over. I’m talking pouring rain that then froze, leaving a sheet thick enough to skate on. I wore my grippiest boots and still had to clutch the railing for dear life as I tried to transport groceries.

If I saw a video of myself from afar I would’ve laughed. In the moment there was nothing I could do. Growing up in Michigan didn’t translate to better balance…it just meant I was familiar how buildings typically mitigate these hazards and had expected salt to magically appear. Knowing this didn’t apply to this situation though.

Regardless of personal experience, there was nothing I could do about my environment.

That simple experience has made me reflect on how much we attribute to actions at an individual level and how much of that judgment should actually be reframed at an organizational or societal level.

How many times have we judged someone for being overly _________, while we failed to see the invisible factors at play forcing them to make the most of the situation?