Rainy Days and Mondays
Photo - Liv Bruce
It’s pouring rain today. At the shops people were moaning ‘what a horrible day’. But, here’s the thing…..without this rain, we wouldn’t have this ‘green and misty isle’ (to quote John F Kennedy on his visit to Ireland in 1963).
We love to moan about the weather, it’s like we think the universe is a waiter/tress ready to take our order. On the other hand whinging about this daily reality, well, it’s a bit of a waste of our time and energy. Like everything else every kind of weather has advantages and disadvantages. It’s just weather.
In one of his books, Michael A. Singer speaks about making a decision not to talk about the weather. How would that be? Just to notice and accept it but not talk about it? Free up that energy to become more conscious, to be more present.
I was really surprised by a young man in a café once who told me he Loved the Irish weather! Loved all the changes of air and the sky; the ever-changing colours all around us, the cool clear air, the softness of the rain and the constant changes, the ‘four seasons in one day that is Ireland’.
So here are a few pointers to including the weather in our spiritual practice.
Acceptance. Just accepting whatever the day brings. Rain or shine, just quietly accepting it. Not moaning about the heat or the cold but just taking a breadth, popping into the moment and accepting it just exactly as it is.
Gratitude. Feeling love in our heart for the wind, the rain, the beauty of nature so supported and enhanced by the weather. Enjoying the gorgeous fresh smell of the earth after a shower. Loving the sun or rain in the early morning.
Delight. Little children love splashing in puddles in their wellies or bare feet. They haven’t yet learnt how to judge and react to whatever the day brings, they just enjoy it and delight in it anyhow.
Could the wind be a reminder of Great Spirit? – I can see it moving the leaves on the trees, I can feel it on my face or blowing my hat off, but I can’t actually see the wind, only it’s effects.
For now, for today, let’s incorporate the weather into our spiritual practice. By becoming conscious of the weather and our reactions to it we can increase our own consciousness levels and even become aware of what ‘moany Michael’s’ (a phrase from the Fr. Ted TV series) we are when it comes to our beautiful ever changing gift, our daily call back to presence, our beautiful Irish weather.