Learning to love the rain

On realising all weather is good weather

When I was younger, all through my twenties and thirties and into my early forties, I used to get really upset about the rain. And the cold, and the grey. These things would have a big impact on my mood, especially if they went on for days, which coming from the UK, and spending several years living in Ireland, they often did. But without me really noticing it happen, I stopped being bothered by what I previously used to view as “bad” weather.

I used to keep going off to hot and dry places in order to avoid rain, and in 2016 I spent some time in southern Spain, where the rains were so infrequent all the rivers had been diverted to water the polytunnel worlds where so much of the fruit and veg we see in our supermarkets comes from. I was there for almost four months and not a single drop of rain fell in that time. People were getting water delivered by tankers as they no longer had any coming out of their taps and new houses were being built in dried up river beds.

After this Spanish trip we returned to live in Ireland again for a while. The next summer, August 2017, I remember it raining hard, and pretty much non-stop, every day for a couple of weeks. I stood looking out of the window of the cottage we were living in and watched a puddle in the field that surrounded the cottage turn into a small pond, then a big pond, and I felt excited about it.

At the moment, I am living in Cumbria UK, and this week we have had a huge amount of rain. I have been out walking in it, relishing the beauty of the new waterfalls tumbling down the fells and the mists hiding the mountain tops; the fresh feel of the raindrops on my cold face; the buds of the spring flowers soaking up the moisture they need to bloom; and watching the robins and the wrens washing in the puddles.

I have learned to love the rain.

Nothing about the rain has changed, so what has made me feel differently about it?

The journey life has taken me on over the past seven years has been filled with grief and loss. Fifteen people in my life have died, the majority of them suddenly and unexpectedly. Seven of them were my closest friends at various stages of my life, and they remained held in my heart even when our lives went in different directions and we no longer saw each other regularly. They were all in their forties when they died.

Living through this period of loss, I learned that life is to be cherished and that every day we have as a human being is a gift. That every weather I experience should be enjoyed for what it is, what it brings to our planet, and to us. I learned to be present in the moment and to feel gratitude for everything that came my way. Even the challenging moments as they always teach me something. I stopped taking things for granted.

Obviously there are still times when I do get caught up in things — not having a home, the unexpected cost of getting the car fixed, the ever lengthening to-do list — but I notice it now. I don’t get lost in it all. I call myself back and remind myself of what matters. I now understand that I am not my thoughts. Essentially, I changed my mind.

And it is this changing of my mind that taught me to love the rain.

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What about you? Have you learned to love something, or someone, that previously used to upset you? I’d love to hear about your experiences so do comment below and let me know.

And please do share this with anyone who you think might enjoy it.

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