The True Value of Punxsutawney Phil
Each year, come February 2, the world's eyes turned to Gobblers Knob in Pennsylvania. It seems we all want to know what a groundhog thinks about the next several weeks of Winter, or hopefully Spring. Somehow, there seems to be some small degree of credibility that comes from what a groundhog might think.
Let's start with the obvious. To any average non-groundhog expert, it appears that Punxsutawney Phil would like to be left alone. While it looks like he's being well-fed and cared for, I get the impression he would just like to go back to sleep and not be manhandled.
If you look back on the records, there is no correlation between Phil’s predictions and an early or late spring. I don't ever hear anyone even ask how the mayor or ceremonial chief in Gobblers Knob even knows if Phill saw a shadow….let alone does Phil even know what a shadow is? But that misses the point entirely.
I give the people of Gobblers Knob an immense amount of credit. They have made this craziness fun. It's a tradition people naturally move toward each year with anticipation and joy, at least from the commentary from my seven-year-old and 10-year-old. The movie Groundhog's Day, with Bill Murray, heightens this awareness even more as the entire community takes the day to celebrate a normally unremarkable early February day. They do it right.
Traditions are important, particularly the ones that are pleasant and joyful. There is no scientific evidence about February 2 telling us anything. But it's one we all look forward to. It brings a smile to our faces even if just for a moment. There are lots of these kinds of traditions. Some of them are formal and more around the community collective. Some are more individualized based on daily routine. Either way, we know traditions and routines help us in so many ways. They organize us. They help us to be not forgetful. They help us, when positive, to see a more upbeat world, and our disposition grows as well.
I'm not sure I believe my local meteorologists with their next day’s forecast. I'm not going to put a whole lot of predictive modeling and accuracy into Punxsutawney Phil. But I will say thank you again this year to the groundhog and the people of Gobblers Knob for the tradition and just a few seconds of smiles on the faces of people around the world.
