Welcoming wet weather

Kitty is unimpressed by wet weather

Let the rain kiss you.  Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops.  Let the rain sing you a lullaby.

Langston Hughes 

UK weather always makes for great discussion. Summer 2011 has been hot, balmy, raining, windy, and chilly; changing erratically and frequently, often from hour to hour. Definitely wild and wonderful.

Yesterday it rained a lot. Car-free with an active outdoor lifestyle, I have little choice but to engage with the weather, on the weather's terms.

Much as a barometer, conditions outside permit me to gauge my prevailing mood. As I awaken and open my curtains to reveal the new day, am I irritated by the overcast dawn sky or acquiescent?

In truth, I do enjoy the cooler climate of a British summer. I can be active without overheating and I quite enjoy the variety and unpredictability of weather. I have fond memories of living low impact and watching our ducks as it rained. Traversing the field with joy and enthusiasm, lustily quacking their contentment as they investigated small pools and crevices where water collected; gargling and bobbing with delight.

Christopher Robin explores a large puddle

Young children also show the way. Look, there's a big one! Exclaimed my six year old neighbour as he and his gang stormed a series of puddles which were forming on the pavement. The rain was a good thing! An opportunity for even more fun, adventure and laughter!

As we move through life such playful attitudes tend to harden into annoyance and cynicism. Cycling through Street, I witnessed small clumps of pedestrians protecting themselves under shop awnings; their faces speaking of dismay and discontent.

The inner voice appeared: To be afraid of the weather is to be afraid of life.  Fundamentally all weather is good, it is given to us with love from Mother Earth. There is a bigger picture, we can see it if we choose to widen our view; the weather isn't happening to us; we are part of an integrated living biosphere and our localised experience is part of a powerful, dynamic self-regulating system, deep and wise and intelligent.

Rain gives us an opportunity to rise above thoughts of duality and negativity: sunny weather = good; wet weather = bad. Such thinking is never helpful and keeps us in a state of disconnect from our true, loving  spirit. 

Keep smiling and carry on

Summer is as much as anything a state of mind; I bought  a beautiful bouquet of sunny golden and orange flowers, to evoke the warmth and light of the sun; instant upliftment.

I took an awesome swim in a near empty outdoor pool. The warm steam rising, the rhythms of  breath and  moving water under moody grey skies made for a very lovely experience.

Lifeguards sat stoically under large umbrellas in bulky cagoules and us few swimmers smiled at each other, acknowledging our happiness and good fortune.

I have a pair of waterproof trousers that fold small that I carry around. When I wear them I feel fearless and intrepid, quite childlike. I can greet the rain with glee and positivity, I can keep going, it's just different, that's all. The gentle summer rain is a blessing;  a thousand sweet kisses falling on my face.

Later in the afternoon I joined friends at a poetry gathering in a mongolian yurt on the lower slopes of Glastonbury Tor. The theme: Earthmatters. The rain was powerful, striking the canvas forcibly, thunder and lightning echoing outside the thin skin. This added a dramatic dimension to our chants, stories and songs, a natural percussion.

A reminder that we are supposed to be living much much closer to nature and all the elements. Changing weather is a dance that we are invited to participate it and not hide away from behind heavy walls and technology. Everything can be fully felt and celebrated. An invitation to presence and aliveness. 

Wet is a physical sensation, just as dry is. A contrast. Modern lives protect us from such extremes and I wonder whether in our search for maximising comfort something primal and vital been lost. 

It's only rain and I love it.

Your thoughts?

Jennifer