Going out in all weathers
My resolution this month is to go out in all weathers, which means I’ve been out in the rain every day so far, we’re on day six.
My partner lives in Stockholm and goes to work on her bike in all weathers. I’ve known her head off on her studded tyres in two foot of snow. Her kids, as toddlers, went to outdoor daycare, spending the winter days playing in the snow in the woods. The Swedes have a saying, there’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes.
Being a ‘Brit’ I’m more likely to pull back the curtains, see a bit of snow, and cancel my plans. I work from home so don’t have to commute, but I do start my day with a walk by the sea. Assuming it’s not raining, or too windy, or too cold, or too damp.
Have you ever looked out the window at the grey sky, drizzling rain and felt sure it would be horrible to be out, but you’ve gone out anyway and discovered an incredible beauty in the landscape? Maybe it’s easier to find in nature, though cityscapes in the rain can be beautiful too, the car lights reflected in puddles.
To enjoy it you have to let go of the idea of staying dry, to surrender to the weather and allow yourself to get wet.
All of this is a metaphor for life.
There are a whole bunch of feelings and emotions that I approach in the same way. The minute I notice them I think, nah, I’m not going there, doesn’t seem so pleasant.
They’re not ‘negative’ feelings, but relatively harmless ones that nonetheless get a bad press; sadness, tiredness, boredom, melancholy and many more.
They are the landscapes of the heart that we chose not to walk into - but when we do we can find a beauty there.
This month’s Dharma Bundle is an investigation of these drizzly and damp feelings. Those of us taking part are each choosing one in the hope of discovering more about it, even discovering a hidden beauty in it. I’ll find a way of sharing our discoveries at the end.
